The Beast
by Na-Na-Nessa
Summary: Everyone knows the story of Beauty and the Beast, but what if Prince Adam wasn't always the spoiled and mean prince everyone came to know? What if certain events in his life caused him to lose the love and kindness he once held in his heart? And how can a simple, yet beautiful girl help him gain back the lost love that helped curse him? (This is my first fanfic) Rated T for caution
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: Hello! I wrote this quite a while back and had completely forgotten about it, and just recently stumbled upon it. So, I've decided to try to give it a go! I'm usually over on fictionpress, (under the same name), but I thought I would try my hand at a fanfiction (seeing that Beauty and the Beast is my favorite classic Disney princess movie, I thought I'd give it a shot!). :)  
Let me know what you think!**_

_**P.S. Any resemblance to another's story is **_**Purely by Coincidence**_** as **_**_plagiarism is not nice! This is all from my own head. And please excuse any typos as well, as the "evil cow typos" have done it, not me. e_e_**

**_Warning: There are quite a few differences from the movie (age, setup etc..) as this is my own version, okay? :3_**

**_Disclaimer: Well, of course I don't own Beauty and the Beast, because if I did, well... That would just be the coolest. :)_**

**_Enjoy!_**

* * *

Once upon a time, in a land faraway, there were two small families joined together by death.

_"I don't understand why you have to marry her," thirteen year old Prince Adam protested against his father._

_"In order for us to continue to rule this village properly, we need to be a full family. How can you pull a cow if a link is broken?" his father, King Edward, asked his son. "Do you not like Marcella?"_

_Prince Adam sighed, "Its not that I don't like her, I just… Miss my mother and I don't like someone coming in and trying to take her place."_

_"No one is trying to take her place as your mother, my son. However, there does have to be a queen," King Edward said._

_"Why?" Prince Adam asked, trying to understand, "We can rule this village by ourselves."_

_"Yes, we can rule this village just fine, but what about when I am away? Who will be here to make the decisions that I cannot from a distance?"_

_"Me?" Prince Adam asked hopeful, and King Edward chuckled,_

_"Of course you can, but not many people find it fitting for a thirteen year old prince to be making big decisions that we both know he can make." He smiled warmly, putting his arm around Prince Adam and squeezing him._

_"Do you not want me happy, Adam?" he asked._

_"Of course I do, father. I guess I just have to get used to the fact that my mother really is gone," Prince Adam said sadly, looking down towards the stone floor._

_His father frowned, "I know son, but we have to stay strong and keep moving on. Your mother wouldn't want us to dwell on her death. She would want us to keep living on. You know that," he said kindly, staring down at his only son. Prince Adam nodded his head,_

_"I know she would. I just miss her so much," he said with sorrow in his voice. His father hugged him tighter, rubbing the upper part of his son's arm to try to comfort him._

_"I miss her too son, very much."_

And with that, King Edward married Marcella, taking in her and her only son, Gaston.

At first, Marcella and Gaston were rather timid; not quite being used to the royal family lifestyle. Queen Marcella would forget that she now had servants to do housework and run errands, while Gaston was shy and quiet. He didn't associate with Prince Adam right away, and in all honesty, Prince Adam liked it. He didn't want to jump into being a family just yet. He still wanted to mourn for the loss of his adoring mother.

However, as time passed, the two young boys became more comfortable with each other-A little too comfortable, in fact.

_"Hey, stupid." Fifteen year old, dark-haired Gaston smiled, pushing past the golden-brown haired prince, whom was fifteen as well._

_Though they had both equally grew into strong young men, Gaston was much broader, taller, and far more egotistical than Prince Adam._

_"Don't call me stupid," he said, eating his breakfast._

_"Why not? You are stupid," Gaston teased with a smirk._

_"No, I'm not. Shut up," Prince Adam defended, not really in the mood for such teasing._

_"Yes, you are." Gaston laughed, pushing Prince Adam._

_Gaston believed that name calling and getting Prince Adam riled up was a sort of fun sport for him, but Prince Adam did not see the fun in it._

_"Just leave me alone if you're going to be mean," Prince Adam sighed, not so much as giving him a glance._

_"Hey, what's that?" Gaston suddenly sounded serious, pointing behind him._

_"What?" Prince Adam asked, looking up and turning around to see what his stepbrother was pointing towards. Then, Gaston snatched his oatmeal and began eating it._

_"Hey! That's mine!" Prince Adam shouted, trying to take his food back._

_Gaston yanked his food out of reach while shoving Prince Adam away easily, for he was taller and stronger._

_"Well if you weren't so stupid you'd still have it! It's mine now." he laughed and walked away, taking Prince Adam's food with him._

_He contemplated on going after Gaston, but he knew he would surely lose, and instead remained in the kitchen, gripping the counter's edge in anger._

Poor Prince Adam tried to tell his father how cruel Gaston was to him, who then talked to Queen Marcella, and that only made matters worse for Prince Adam…

_"Why are you such a cry baby?" Gaston sneered, leaning in the doorway of Prince Adam's bedroom; his arms crossed over his broad chest._

_Prince Adam looked up from the book he was reading on his bed._

_"I'm not a cry baby. You're just rude and vile, and you wouldn't stop when I asked you to," Prince Adam said with irritation._

_"Yeah, right," Gaston scoffed with a roll of his eyes, "Why don't you try standing up for yourself every once in a while instead of running to daddy all the time?"_

_"I do not run to my father all the time. Why don't you try being nicer?" Prince Adam shot back angrily as he stood up from his bed._

_"Because you can't rule a village if you're nice. You have to be rough, show them whose king," Gaston said, puffing out his chest as if this would prove his point._

_"No, you don't. My father isn't mean and he's ruling the village just fine," Prince Adam defended._

_Gaston scoffed again, "I could run this village better than your father."_

_"And how so?" Prince Adam asked as he crossed his arms, and suppressed the urge to laugh at Gaston's big head._

_"First off, I'd remove all of the poor people from my streets so they quit begging and pestering my people who pay to live here. I would put every one of them to work to start building my town and my castle bigger. I'd make them build an arena, a statue of myself so everyone would know whose king, my own personal sauna strictly for me and any woman of my choosing, and my own personal gift shop all about me for the tourists to take back to their homes." He smirked as Prince Adam only watched his head grow bigger._

_"Everyone would respect me, they would have to bow when they see me, and they would have to get me everything I ask for," Gaston said with a glint in his eye. Then, he thought for a moment, "I'd also make a rule where everyone on Christmas would have to get me a present, as well." he fantasized._

_This time, Prince Adam rolled his eyes,_

_"Well then, it is a good thing _You're_ not going to be king, because this place would be a disaster," he laughed._

_However, this made Gaston angry,_

_"How?"_

_"Because there's more to being a king than just having everyone bow at you and get you anything you wanted. You would have to actually make smart decisions when it comes to trading, taxes, actually helping the community-"_

_Then, Gaston walked right up to Prince Adam and shoved him,_

_"Oh, and you think you could do better than me?" he questioned him angrily, "You're too nice. People would walk all over you. Even if you had the title as king, you wouldn't be running it. Someone else would have to make the decisions for you because you'd be too nice to tell them no." Gaston sneered in Prince Adam's face, who stared back angrily and watched as he stormed away._

Although Queen Marcella had a talk with Gaston, the bullying and the teasing continued, and any time Prince Adam would try to tell someone, Gaston would lie and make it look like it was Prince Adam's own imagination.

Gaston was good with his words and lies, and no one ever saw when he was mean to Prince Adam, he made sure of that. Anytime they were around others, he was like a best friend to Prince Adam; fooling everyone but him.

He was becoming tired of no one believing him. He was tired of always being accused of making up stories, and tired of Gaston being mean to him when they were alone. This put quite the temper in Prince Adam.

Then, another year had passed, and things started to change. Gaston, who would still be friendly to Prince Adam around others, continued being nice to him even when they were alone.

This confused Prince Adam. Had Gaston turned a new leaf? Grown out of his preadolescent teasing? Prince Adam didn't really care to know why or how it happened, he was just glad the constant mean, teasing, and lying Gaston was gone.

However, Gaston still tried to "toughen up" Prince Adam every once in a while by teasing him, or arguing with him, and Prince Adam began to stand up more to Gaston, even physically a few times. Little did Prince Adam know, that's exactly what Gaston wanted him to do.

_"So, what are you going to do when you become king?" Gaston asked, sitting on the floor and poking at a log with the fire poker._

_"I still have quite a bit of ways before ever thinking about that. I've only just turned sixteen." Prince Adam chuckled as he sat on the floor with his back against the couch and a book in his lap._

_"I don't know, Adam. He's looking pretty old…" Gaston warned, referring to his father, King Edward._

_"What's that supposed to mean?" Prince Adam asked, looking up at him with his eyebrows creased._

_"Nothing," Gaston said worriedly, "All I'm saying is you should start thinking about when you're going to be king. The decisions you'll need to make, the laws you'll have to enforce… You never know what's going to happen…" Gaston said, keeping his eyes on the fire._

_Prince Adam watched him for a moment, thinking._

_"What?" Gaston asked when he noticed Prince Adam staring at him suspiciously out of the corner of his eye._

_"Nothing," Prince Adam said, turning his eyes to the fire._

_"Look," Gaston said, fully turning to him, "I'm not trying to worry you or anything but, what happens if something suddenly happens to your father and you become king? Will you be ready for that?" he asked. Prince Adam sat quiet for a moment as he thought this over._

_"Do you think I'm ready for that?" he asked him in return, but Gaston made a face,_

_"You want my honest opinion?"_

_Prince Adam nodded, though he was sure he already knew Gaston's answer._

_"No, I don't think you are."_

_"And why is that?" Prince Adam asked him, trying not to sound offended._

_"Because," Gaston paused, trying to find the right words, "You still let people walk all over you, Adam." he said with a serious tone._

_"I do not," Prince Adam said, slightly irritated. Gaston was always telling him that, but he didn't see it._

_Yes, he was nicer to the people and the servants in the castle unlike Gaston was, who always ordered the servants around and treated the villagers like they were below him, but did he really let people walk all over him?_

_"Yes, you do Adam. I know you're being nice, but there is a line between being too nice and letting people walk over you. You let people get away with things too easily, and for that, they don't respect you." Gaston shook his head._

_"How?" Prince Adam asked curiously, setting his book down and crossing his arms as his irritation rose._

_"Well, like the people in the village. They're always coming up to you and trying to get in good with you just so they can use you. Telling you their petty problems like it's the most important thing in the world, asking you to tell your father to help them…"_

_"And..?" Prince Adam asked, raising an eyebrow. Wasn't a king supposed to listen to the needs of his people?_

_"They're using you!" Gaston said, sitting up more. "Don't you see it? They only want to get in good with you so they can move up higher in the society! They only whine and complain to you about their problems so you can personally tell your father like you're their personal messenger boy! That's what meetings are for. They don't respect you," Gaston said shook his head again. "Its quite pathetic."_

_This irritated Prince Adam greatly._

_"They are not using me and they do respect me!" Prince Adam protested. There was no way; the village people didn't use him like that… Right? Sure, they did talk to him about their problems, and they did ask him to talk to his father about them all the time, but if he was going to be their future king, wouldn't he have to know these things anyway?_

_Gaston sighed,_

_"Fine. Take the servants here for example."_

_"What about them?" Prince Adam asked, his voice thick with irritation._

_"They get away with a lot of things, and right in front of you!"_

_"No, they don't!" Prince Adam snapped, becoming angry. He was getting really tired of Gaston and his "walk all over you" speeches._

_"Yes, they do! They're always taking the food, they never put everything back in their exact proper order, they're disrespectful, they say they're always too busy when you ask them for something, and that stupid blonde servant boy-!"_

_"They can eat the food here if they want, Gaston! They work for it! And they are busy helping my father with more important matters! They do treat me with respect around here, and Chip is not stupid, so quit calling him that!" Prince Adam raised his voice over him._

_"Well, if he wasn't, then he wouldn't be getting into your room all the time like you told him not to, now would he?" Gaston shot back, and Prince Adam suddenly became silent._

_He had told Chip before to stop playing in his room and making it a mess, but it wasn't like he did it all the time..._

_"See? You let people walk all over you, and you think you're just being nice! You'll never make it as king if you're just a pushover, Adam!" Gaston sneered._

_This whole time, something in Prince Adam's chest was rising; burning in his chest. He was getting tired of Gaston telling him these things, even if he did make some points that seemed valid to a certain degree, but he was sick of hearing it nonetheless._

_Finally, that something snapped._

_Prince Adam clenched his jaw. This was the last straw. He was done with Gaston telling him he was being too nice. He wanted him to be mean? Fine. He was going to show him he could be mean to get him off of his back once and for all._

_Suddenly, Prince Adam stood up, and began to walk away._

_"Hey, where are you going?" Gaston called out, watching him._

_"You want me to show you that I am not a pushover? Then, shut up and follow me," Prince Adam said angrily, storming over to the East Wing where most of the servants stayed. He threw every door open with a bang, until he finally came to the room he was looking for. There, he found Chip alone with one of his favorite books that he knew he had gotten from his room, and this only angered him more. He snatched the book up away from Chip,_

_"Hey-" Chip started to protest._

_"Did you ask if you could read this?" Prince Adam yelled, holding the book up. Chips eyes went wide and he looked scared._

_"No…" he said fearfully._

_"Did you ask me if you could even go into my room?" Prince Adam yelled again. Chip silently shook his head._

_"I asked you a question!"_

_"N-No…" Chip said, looking like he was about ready to cry._

_"Don't ever go into my room without my permission again!" Prince Adam yelled, and stormed off with Gaston following closely behind, the sound of Chips sniffling fading away._

_He couldn't believe he had just yelled at poor Chip. He thought he would have felt some sort of relief, but it only made him feel even worse._

_"See how good it feels to have people listen to you for once?" Gaston asked, keeping up with him._

_"Shut up!" Prince Adam barked at him, and continued across the entrance hall. Then, he turned to the stairs to go to his room and cool down._

_"Where are you going?" Gaston asked, stopping._

_"To my room. I want to be alone." Prince Adam declared, setting his foot on the first stair._

_"Wait!" Gaston said, stopping him._

_"What?" Prince Adam snapped, turning to him. Gaston looked like he was anticipating something._

_"Don't you want to go back to the main room?"_

_"Why?"_

_"So we can talk some more." Gaston smiled. Prince Adam didn't like the excited look on his face._

_"I don't want to talk anymore," Prince Adam said irritated._

_"Why not?" Gaston's eyebrows creased. Why did he want to talk to him so eagerly?_

_"Because I don't! You're irritating me," Prince Adam said, turning to the stairs again._

_"Well, sorry for trying to make sure you won't get all mushy again, and feel bad and continue to let people walk all over you anymore!" Gaston then sneered._

_Was he trying to get a rise out of him? If so, he was going to get it._

_Prince Adam suddenly turned and dropped his book, grabbing the front of Gaston's shirt and pushing him into the wall,_

_"Why do you care so much if people walk all over me? What business is it of yours?" he nearly growled._

_"Because I don't want to ruled by some pathetic, pushover of a king! I'm trying to help you!" Gaston spat._

_"I don't need your help! I am not pathetic, and I am not a pushover! I do not let people walk all over me just because I'm nicer than you! But since you're too ignorant to know the difference between the two, I don't care what you think anymore! I yelled at a little boy and made him cry just to try to prove a point to you!" Prince Adam yelled in Gaston's face, shoving him back. Gaston stumbled back and fell, surprised._

_He didn't care anymore. He didn't care if Gaston got up and retaliated. He was ready for him._

_"What in God's name is going on out here?" One of the servants appeared around the corner, looking between the two boys._

_Instead of attacking him however, Gaston just stood up and fixed his clothes, glaring at him._

_Prince Adam picked up his book and turned towards the stairs. He was just about to climb up them when he stopped and glared at Gaston angrily,_

_"I hope you're happy," he said quietly, and stormed up the stairs to his room, slamming the door shut._

A few weeks had passed and winter was slowly approaching. By now Gaston had apologized to Prince Adam, who accepted his apology, but ever since that night, Prince Adam's temper had shortened quite a bit. He became angry more easily now, and more demanding to the servants. Not even Chip would go near him anymore, and although he felt angry about it, he in no way apologized for what he had done. He was fed up.

He even became colder towards the village people, who once thought so highly of him, now rather feared and disliked him.

_Prince Adam had decided to take a stroll through the town, with Gaston strutting alongside him, and a village boy by the name of LeFou, who followed Gaston around like a lost puppy._

_Anyone who laid eyes upon Prince Adam would normally greet him with delight and engage him in conversation, but now as he passed the village people, they averted their eyes and kept their heads down low; for far too many times they had witnessed him yelling and nearly degrading anyone who approached him that he did not want to be bothered with._

_"See? They respect you now. They won't be bothering you any longer." Gaston smirked with LeFou nodding in agreement, but Prince Adam ignored them._

_As they continued to walk, a couple of the village girls walking toward them began giggling and batting their eyelashes. Gaston puffed out his chest and put on his best, charming smirk as LeFou tried to do the same, but the poor lad was short and chubby compared to the other two._

_Prince Adam on the other hand, just merely smiled at them._

_They giggled loudly as they passed by, and Prince Adam's eyes followed behind him, watching as they walked away._

_Suddenly, he felt someone collide into him, and heard the sound of books falling to the ground. He quickly looked down to see a plain, but rather very beautiful brunette girl on the ground, looking up at him with angry hazel eyes, and books strewn all around her in the dirt._

_She was wearing a simple blue dress with a white apron over, and her rich hair was pulled back into a ponytail with a few loose strands framed around her face. She had soft rosy cheeks, and full lips which were formed into a frown._

_She opened her mouth to say something, when Gaston suddenly spoke up._

_"Watch where you are going!" he yelled at her, "Can't you see your future king is walking here?" he nearly spat at her, and her eyes became even more angry as she clenched her jaw._

_"Well, if he would have been more cognizant of his surroundings like a "future king" should be of the village he is to preside over rather than gawking at the village girls, perhaps this situation would have been avoided!" she shot back, and this immediately shut Gaston up. She returned her eyes back to Prince Adam, waiting for him to retaliate._

_However, Prince Adam said nothing, but simply stared at the girl curiously; his sky blue eyes piercing into her golden hazel ones while Gaston and LeFou huffed._

_He would have become angry for such a villager to talk back like that, but the way she had shut Gaston up with her use of words, and the way she didn't seem to be afraid of them at all, intrigued him._

_"Come on, Adam," Gaston scowled, grabbing his arm and quickly pulling him away from the girl, purposely stepping all over her books as Prince Adam tried to avoid them._

_He looked back and watched as she looked down in angry sadness, picking up her now dirty and tattered books._

_"Did you have to step on her books like that?" Prince Adam finally asked, rather annoyed as Gaston dragged him away._

_"Serves her right for running into you," he smirked, but Prince Adam didn't agree, and felt angry with himself to just walk away like that. Was this the type of person he had become? When did he become so bitter and cruel?_

_He knew that most of the time his actions were rather out of line, but he just couldn't help it, and he feared it was due to Gaston and his influential poor attitude; constantly coaxing him in his ear._

_During these times he greatly missed his mother and her gentle hand._

_She was always kind; always wise with her words, but she was no longer here to guide him, and deep down it had always left him feeling angry. Why did she have to be taken from him? Why did she deserve such a terrible fate when she was such a kind woman?_

_That was something he would never fully understand; something he would never be able to wrap his head around, and he felt angry for it, but was he the type of person to just rudely knock a girl down, and not help or apologize for it?_

_He knew that would have been something his mother, were she still alive, would have frowned upon him for._

_Suddenly, he stopped dead in his tracks, yanking his arm from Gaston's grip, who stopped and turned around confused, but found Prince Adam walking back towards the girl._

_"Where are you going?" Gaston called after him, but he ignored him._

_Prince Adam finally approached the girl, and bent down to help pick up the last of her books._

_She eyed him suspiciously as he handed her the last book, but he merely smiled._

_"Prince Adam." He introduced himself as he stood up, and held his hand out to help her up._

_However, she stood up on her own, ignoring Prince Adam's outstretched hand._

_"I know who you are," she said, holding her books tightly to her chest as she continued to eye him._

_Prince Adam suddenly felt nervous, and his mind drew a blank as he was unsure of what to say._

_"I uhm… I'm sorry about Gaston. He can be rude sometimes-Well, most of the time," he chuckled, and the girl looked down in thought for a moment._

_"Why do you partake in his actions then?" she asked him as she looked back up, and Prince Adam became confused._

_"I'm sorry?"_

_"There is such kindness in your eyes, but lately your actions match those of his," she said with a slight frown, and Prince Adam was unsure of what to say. He had never actually been asked of this before._

_Finally after a silent moment, she readjusted her books,_

_"It was nice to meet you, Prince Adam. Excuse me," she said with a nod, and he watched as she turned and walked away, feeling his curiosity for the girl only grow._

* * *

_A few days had passed, and the early afternoon found Prince Adam and Gaston walking about the village again with LeFou in tow, for staying at the castle greatly bored the two as their parents and the servants were always seemingly busy._

_As they walked through the food market, eyeing the pretty village girls once more as they passed, Prince Adam secretly hoped he would see the beautiful brunette again. Ever since the day he had run into her and talked to her, he couldn't get his mind off of her._

_The way she stood up for herself rather than backed down, and her clever use of words fascinated Prince Adam-along with her natural beauty, and her bright, hazel eyes. He wanted to see those eyes again._

_"My, my, there are quite a few lookers out today." Gaston smirked as he took a bite of an apple he had stolen from one of the fruit carts they had passed._

_"Yeah! Which one do you like the most, Gaston?" LeFou asked excitedly, but Prince Adam no longer listened to them as he suddenly spotted the interesting brunette he had secretly been hoping to see down the way._

_She was carrying a small basket, and examining a cart full of vegetables, but he noticed she also had a book tucked under her arm. He smiled gently to himself, for it seemed she liked reading just as much as he did. Most girls in the village never cared to pick up a book._

_"See someone you like?" Gaston suddenly asked in Prince Adam's ear, quickly pulling him from his thoughts._

_"Who is she?" he asked, nodding towards the girl._

_Gaston and LeFou looked towards the direction he was pointing, and Gaston made a face._

_"The one who ran into you the other day?" he asked, and Prince Adam nodded._

_"Oh, that's Belle! She's the daughter of that nut job inventor. Crazy Old Maurice they call him," LeFou spoke up. "She's very nice and very smart." he added with a smile._

_"Ah, yes. I've heard of them," Gaston nodded, remembering when he had once lived in the village before his mother married King Edward._

_"She actually is quite the looker. A bit odd, and always has her nose buried in a stupid fairytale book," he rolled his eyes, "but with some makeup, proper clothes and manners, she could be the prettiest girl in the entire village," Gaston said with thought._

_However, Prince Adam thought differently. She was already more beautiful than any of the other village girls he had seen, without all the fancy attire and makeup._

_"Would you like me to go talk to her for you?" Gaston offered, but Prince Adam seemed uncertain._

_"I wanted to apologize for being rude to her anyways," Gaston said, and Prince Adam finally considered it, for he felt too nervous to approach her again; especially after what had happened the other day._

_"Yes. Yes, I would like you to." He nodded, and Gaston began to make his way toward her when Prince Adam quickly stopped him,_

_"Wait. Tell her I am sorry again for running into her. Please," he said, and Gaston nodded._

_He and LeFou watched as Gaston made his way toward her, and soon, they began talking._

_At first she seemed suspicious as she eyed Gaston, and this made Prince Adam nervous. Perhaps he should have talked to her himself, but the thought made his stomach tense. He was never confident in the least bit like Gaston was, and he had never tried talking to any of the girls before. Gaston was more of an expert in that area._

_Then, he watched as her eyes darted over in his direction, and he forced himself to smile, but she did not smile in return and seemed rather unhappy. He was growing more anxious and nervous by the minute. Was she still very upset about the other day?_

_Suddenly, an angry look crossed her face, and she shook her head, quickly turning and storming away. Prince Adam felt his stomach drop as Gaston turned around and began to head back with an unpleasant look on his face._

_"Well? What did she say?" Prince Adam asked anxiously as Gaston returned._

_"Uhm," he sighed, seeming as if he wanted to avoid telling him._

_"Gaston," Prince Adam pressed, raising his eyebrows._

_"She said… She said you were the most ill-mannered and foul thing she has ever seen, and she would rather be locked away for an eternity than to speak to the likes of you," he said reluctantly._

_This took Prince Adam by surprise. Did she really think of him this way, all because he accidentally ran into her? Even after he went back and helped her?_

_Suddenly, he became angry, which came quite easily these days. How could she think that of him, when he showed her an act of kindness? When he went back and helped her? He didn't understand!_

_"Don't worry about it, Adam, it's her loss. She may be pretty and book smart, but who is she to call you ill-mannered and foul? She is an idiot for turning away the future king," Gaston said acidly, and Prince Adam couldn't agree more. She didn't even get to try to know him first before making such judgments!_

_"Let's go. I don't want to be among these…peasants anymore." Prince Adam spat angrily, and turned away to head back to the castle._

_As days passed, Prince Adam couldn't shake the thought from his head, and it constantly angered him. Is that what most people thought of him? Ill-mannered? Foul?_

_How dare they think of him like this! He was their future king! They should respect him and praise him!_

From that moment on, Prince Adam refused to go into the village. He did not want to look at the people who thought ill of him, especially by Belle, and it infuriated him.

To make matters even worse, his father was constantly busy now, trying to make sure his people would have plenty of food and shelter to survive through the extremely harsh winter that was approaching. Prince Adam rarely ever saw him, and if he did, he was too busy for him.

However, word about King Edward's son becoming spoiled and nasty did not go passed his ears, and finally one evening, when he had no more matters to attend to, he tried to talk to his troublesome son.

_"My son, why are you so angry all of the time?" King Edward asked Prince Adam, who was looking out of the window of the main room. He had tried reading, but his mind was too distracted, and it reminded him of Belle; someone he would rather not think about._

_"I am not angry," Prince Adam said irritated, keeping his back to his father._

_"Do not lie to me, Adam. What is bothering you so?" he asked._

_"Nothing is bothering me, I am fine," Prince Adam said, becoming more irritated by the minute. Why was his father so interested to know now?_

_"Adam, I have been hearing talk of you being rude to the servants and the people. That is not how I raised you to be," King Edward said, sounding disappointed._

_"Yeah? Well, it doesn't seem to matter. Leave me alone," Prince Adam nearly snapped, leaning on the window sill and clenching his jaw._

_"It matters to me. You are my son and I want you to be happy," King Edward said in a serious tone. However, Prince Edward couldn't contain himself anymore._

_"Why does it matter to you so much now? You don't care anymore!" he yelled, finally looking to his father with anger filled eyes._

_"Of course I care, Adam. You know I have been busy-"_

_"Oh really? Is that why you go out dressed up with Marcella every other night, to go "run errands"? You're always too busy for me now! You never spend time with me!"_

_"Adam, that is not true-"_

_"You don't care about me anymore! All you're worried about is being everyone's king!" Prince Adam yelled loudly, turning back towards the window, gripping the edge. He waited for his father to yell back at him, to tell him he was wrong, but instead, it was quiet. This angered Prince Adam even more. Did he have nothing to say now?_

_Prince Adam turned around to accuse his father of it being true, when he noticed his father had an odd expression on his face. He looked like he was in deep pain, and almost as if he was surprised and bewildered by it. This confused Prince Adam greatly._

_"Father…?" he questioned quietly as he watched his father's mouth open and then close._

_His father reached up and put a hand on his chest, gripping it tightly, and suddenly, he fell to the ground, shaking and twitching._

_"Father!" Prince Adam yelled worriedly, rushing to his father. He grabbed him,_

_"What's wrong? What is wrong, Father?" he tried to ask him, but his father was in too much pain to speak. Prince Adam had no idea what was going on._

_"Help! Somebody help!" he yelled and soon, King Edward's closest servants, Lumiere and Cogsworth, came rushing in._

_"What happened?" Cogsworth questioned frantically at the sight before him._

_"I don't know! He just fell down!" Prince Adam said frightfully, "He's in pain!"_

_"What is going on?" Mrs. Potts, one of the kitchen maids, came rushing in._

_"Get him out of here!" Lumiere ordered her, referring to Prince Adam as he tried to examine King Edward._

_She rushed over and began to pull him up._

_"Come on, dear. Let's go," she said, but Prince Adam shook her off._

_"No! What's going on with him? Why is he doing that?" he asked frantically, but no one had an answer for him. More servants came rushing in to see what the commotion was about._

_"I'm going to get the doctor. You stay here with him, and you get him out of here!" Cogsworth ordered the last part to Mrs. Potts and the other servants. Then, they all began pulling Prince Adam out of the room,_

_"No! No! Let me go! I want to stay!" he yelled as they dragged him out of the room._

_"Father! Father!" he called out, struggling with them._

_Then, with one last fearful look into his father's wide eyes, they finally pulled him completely out of the room, and shut the door._

_That was the last time Prince Adam ever spoke to his father._

Sadness struck the castle and the town greatly when everyone learned that King Edward had died, but the one who took it the most was young Prince Adam.

He locked himself up in his room any chance he could, and refused to talk to anyone. Day and night, he went over his last conversation with his father, the harsh words he had spoken to him… And all his father had wanted was to know what was bothering his son.

Prince Adam would never forgive himself for that.

Over the next several days, Prince Adam had become bitter and very cold-hearted. Everyone tried to sympathize for the poor boy, but it was very difficult for his mood was sour and his temper was shorter than it had ever been. However, they did make an oath to serve him and his family, and they did exactly as he demanded.

Then, on the night of Christmas, as Prince Adam sat in his room reading one of his favorite books, which was his escape to another world where he actually felt…alright, he had no idea that this very night would be the night that would change his life forever.

_Prince Adam sat on his bed with his book in his lap; deep within the story. All he seemed to be doing lately was reading._

_Suddenly, there was a knock on the door._

_"Leave me alone," he said, not taking his eyes away from the book. However, they knocked again._

_"I said leave me alone!" he yelled, but the door opened, and Gaston appeared through it._

_"Adam-" he started, but Prince Adam cut him off._

_"What part of "leave me alone" don't you understand?" he said angrily._

_"I just came in here to ask if you would like to read in the main room for a change?" Gaston asked, annoyed. Prince Adam's face became confused,_

_"You came all the way up here… To ask me that?" he asked, astonished and annoyed._

_"Yes," Gaston said with a serious face._

_"That's a stupid question to ask. Why would I want to go read in the main room when I can read right here?" he spat._

_"Because I thought it would be better for you since you used to read in there all the time, rather than staying locked up in here like a damsel in distress," Gaston shot at him. Prince Adam stood up from his bed._

_"What did you call me?" he asked coldly, his temper rising._

_"Listen, I didn't come here to fight. Just try reading in the main room for once," Gaston suggested gently this time. Prince Adam still didn't understand._

_"Look, I'm taking my mother out to the town for a bit to try and cheer her up for Christmas, so we won't be around. Just try it." Gaston added._

_"Why the hell should I?" Prince Adam nearly shouted. What was so important that he had to read in there?_

_"Because it might help you feel better!" Gaston yelled, "Listen, I understand it is hard to lose a father because in case you haven't noticed, I don't have one, but you need to overcome this and be strong! So quit asking questions and just try it!"_

_"Fine! If it is so goddamn important to you!" Prince Adam shouted, and grabbed his book off of the bed. He stormed out of the door, but not before slamming his shoulder into Gaston's on the way out._

_Why was Gaston so eager for him to read in the main room? What was so damn important that he had to? Did he really care to try and make him feel better? Prince Adam wondered this as he stormed down the stairs._

_He finally reached the bottom of the stairs, where he ran into Lumiere and Cogsworth, talking among themselves._

_"Oh! Hello Monsieur, and Merry Christmas! What brings you down here?" Lumiere greeted with mild surprise, bowing excitedly. A little too excitedly for Prince Adam's liking._

_"I'm going to read in the main room. Tell no one to disturb me for any reason unless it's an emergency, or they can find a new place to stay," he said coldly._

_"Yes, sir," they nodded quickly, and he entered the main room._

_He walked over to the arm chair he once so frequently sat, right in front of the fireplace where there was a fire already burning warmly, and sat down._

_Prince Adam opened his book to the last page he had left off, marked by a thin silk ribbon, but instead of reading, he glanced around the dark and empty room._

_Besides the sound of the blowing wind of Winter's cold, the main room was quiet and still; just like he liked it. Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea after all. He did miss reading in here._

_He, his mother, and his father all used to sit in this room together by the fire, either reading or talking, or just sitting in comfortable silence, watching the flames dancing around. He missed it so much. He missed the simple company of his parents, and now, he was all alone._

_He sighed and began to read, quickly getting into his book again; escaping to this wonderful world away from everyone and everything, and before he knew it, hours had passed. He was almost finished though, just one more chapter, his most favorite part…_

_Suddenly, there was a soft knock on the door. Prince Adam looked up at the time; it was nearing nine o' clock. Who could be knocking at this time of night, in this weather?_

_Prince Adam opened his mouth to demand someone to go open the door when he remembered he had ordered everyone away. Maybe he could pretend that no one was home and they would go away?_

_He continued reading, but they knocked persistently on the door again. Prince Adam grumbled in irritation, and put his book down on the small table next to the chair. He got up and stormed over to the door, and pulled it open._

_"What?" he snapped._

_There, he saw a little, old woman dressed in a brown dirty cloak. Prince Adam couldn't see her face right away, because her hood covered most of it, but when she looked up, it was a disturbing sight to see._

_She had a swollen eye that was uncovered, big warts and boils on her wrinkly old face, and dry lips that sunk into her mouth, for she had no teeth._

_"Hello," she said in a quiet rough tone. "It is terribly cold out, and there are hungry wolves running about the grounds of the forest. Would you allow a poor, old woman to stay here for the night?" she asked._

_Prince Adam's eyebrows creased. Who did she think she was, disturbing him from his favorite book, and asking him if she could just stay here in his castle? Not only was she a stranger, but she was repulsive._

_"I'm sorry, but there is no room for the likes of you here. Go find another place to stay," Prince Adam said coldly, and shut the door. He was just about to turn and leave when there was another set of soft knocks on the door. He sighed and opened it again._

_Of course, it was the same, little, old woman._

_As he looked down at her, just about to tell her off, she pulled a beautiful, glowing rose out from inside her cloak._

_"Please, I offer you this rose in exchange for a place to stay…" she said, holding it out. He simply looked at the rose._

_Although it was beautiful, what kind of fool did she perceive him to be?_

_"What am I going to do with a rose? I told you, there's no room for you here!" he said angrily, and was about to slam the door when she suddenly stopped it with her wooden walking stick with surprising strength._

_"Please, young man, do not be deceived by such appearances, for beauty, love, and kindness is found within," she warned in a low voice, but this only further angered Prince Adam._

_"Is that a threat you old hag?" he questioned her with a sinister glare, but she did not cower in the least._

_"I will not stand to be threatened by a petty, ugly beggar such as yourself!" he spat, and slammed the door shut. He turned around, and prepared to walk towards the stairs. He did not want to read anymore, for he was now in an unpleasant mood._

_Suddenly, the castle started to vibrate violently._

What the..?_ Prince Adam thought worriedly as he looked at the stone floor, trying to keep his balance. Where they having some sort of an earthquake? Were they being attacked?_

_Then, a bright light suddenly beamed through the bottom of the castle doors, and he turned around to investigate when the doors blew open with a powerful gust of wind, knocking Prince Adam back and to the floor._

_He raised his hand up to try to protect his eyes from the painfully bright light that was shining right where the old woman had been standing._

_He looked around for anyone to help him, but he was all alone… Just like he wanted._

_He turned back as the light slightly dimmed, and a beautiful woman in a green and gold dress appeared floating in the air._

_She had long, beautiful, golden locks that framed perfectly around her heart-shaped face and spilled over her shoulders. She had powerful, piercing green eyes, smooth, porcelain-white skin, and perfectly shaped lips. She was an Enchantress._

_"Adam," she said, and her voice echoed loudly, though it was soft and smooth like a harp. "You have disgraced me and for that, I place a curse on thee, and everyone that resides in this castle. You will become the cold-hearted beast that has been residing within you, for you have no love in your heart, and everyone within this castle will become as you perceive them to be," she echoed out._

_Prince Adam was scared, he did not know it was an Enchantress!_

_"No, please! I'm sorry!" he began to beg, getting onto his knees before the Enchantress, but she merely looked down at him, her expression beautifully vacant. When she said nothing, he lowered his head down to the ground,_

_"Please do not do this, I am sorry! I will become better, I promise!" he pleaded, but she raised her wand and made a smooth, elegant swiping motion over Prince Adam, and he began to feel very strange…_

_"What is happening?" he questioned frantically, looking at his hands and arms as they began to grow thick, brown fur. They slowly grew in size, and black claws replaced his fingernails. He felt his teeth begin to painfully form into sharp fangs, two of them sprouting out far from his bottom teeth, well passed his top lip._

_Then, he yelled in pain as it felt like his body was on fire. He began to transform into the beast the Enchantress had cursed upon him. His clothes ripped as his body grew in size, and the thick fur covered the rest of his body. Two horns pushed their way out from his forehead as a snout transformed from his nose, and a tail grew painfully from his spine._

_Just when he felt like he couldn't take it anymore, it finally stopped, and he collapsed to the ground, panting and aching._

_"Why?" the ugly beast that was once the charming and handsome Prince Adam, asked sadly with tears in his sky blue eyes._

_The Enchantress held out her hand, and the same, beautiful, glowing rose the old woman had presented before appeared, hovering in the air._

_"You know why I have done this. You no longer have the love you once held so deeply in your heart, and because of that it has led you to become a monster inside, which is now how you will be perceived," she said as a small, silver mirror appeared in her hand, and she placed it next to Prince Adam._

_"This is a magical mirror, which will allow you to see anyone you wish outside of the castle," she said in her beautiful voice. "In order to be free of this curse, Adam, you must truly fall in love with someone, and they must truly love the beast that you are in return, before the last pedal falls on your twenty-sixth birthday, or you will remain as a beast forever."_

_Then, she began to fade away into the light as the beautiful rose slowly lowered to the ground, and hovered just inches above the cold, stone floor in front of Prince Adam._

_"No…" he shook his head as she slowly began to disappear, "No! No, please! Come back!" he called to her with an outstretched, furry claw, but the light faded, and all was dark and silent again._

* * *

_"Adam! Prince Adam!" Lumiere called out frantically. Something strange had happened._

_One minute he was talking to Cogsworth in the library, and the next he was transformed into a candelabra! How could that be possible?_

_"Adam!" Cogsworth called out as well. He had also transformed into a clock; a living, walking clock!_

_"Lumiere! Cogsworth!" Mrs. Potts suddenly called out. They turned around not to find the elderly mother, but a beautiful teapot, followed by matching set teacups._

_"Mrs. Potts?" Lumiere questioned._

_"What is going on?" Mrs. Potts questioned hysterically._

_"Momma, what happened? Why are we like this?" one little teacup questioned, whose voice matched that of Chip's._

_"We don't know! We have to find Prince Adam!" Cogsworth said, heading down the hall as fast as his wood legs would carry him._

_"Where is Gaston? Where is Queen Marcella?" Mrs. Potts asked as she followed._

_"I don't think they have returned yet," Lumiere said as they began to make their way to the main room._

_No one had any idea what was going on. As they quickly hurried down the halls, they ran into various objects brought to life, questioning them frantically, some just plain hysterical. They hoped Prince Adam would have some sort of explanation for this?_

_They finally made it to the main room, and all was still and quiet as it was before._

_"Adam…?" Lumiere called out cautiously. There was an eerie silence that hung in the dark room._

_They quietly made their way deeper into the room, sticking close together._

_What had become of Prince Adam? Had he turned into a couch? Did he disappear?_

_Suddenly, a bright, pink light appeared from the entrance hall, catching their attention. They all cautiously made their way towards it._

_As they rounded the corner, they found what looked like a massive heap of brown, thick fur. Next to it, was the source of the bright pink light. It was a rose, shining beautifully as it hovered an inch off of the stone floor. Had Prince Adam been transformed into a rose?_

_"Adam…?" Lumiere called out again._

_The massive mound of fur unexpectedly moved, frightening everyone. They watched as the fur extended, and realized it was an animal. How did such a large animal get inside the castle?_

_It stood up very tall, with huge round shoulders, and large thick claws. Then, it turned around, and they all gasped as a beastly looking creature was staring right back at them, growling low._

_As they all frighteningly stared at it, Mrs. Potts found something oddly recognizable. The creature's blue eyes._

_Suddenly, it struck her._

_"Is that you, young Adam?" she asked quietly, hopping forward._

_The Beast stared at her for several moments, before closing its eyes and lowering its head._

_"Prince Adam! What happened to you? What happened to us?" Lumiere suddenly blurted._

_Prince Adam looked toward Lumiere angrily._

_"We were cursed," he said in a low voice._

_"But, why? By whom? What did we do?" Cogsworth asked, not able to contain himself._

_"How should I know?" Prince Adam barked angrily, flashing his sharp teeth. He did not yet want to tell them that it was because of his inhospitality and selfishness._

_"Well, what do we do? Do we call for help?" Lumiere asked with uncertainty, for who could help them?_

_"No one leaves the castle! No one enters the castle!" Prince Adam said in a deep growl. They all stayed quiet for a moment. Then, Chip suddenly spoke up._

_"What's that?" he asked, indicating towards the beautiful, brightly colored rose. They all turned towards it, wondering the same thing. Was it the source of all of this?_

_Suddenly, Prince Adam snatched it up protectively._

_"It is none of your business!" he growled, scaring Chip as he stowed the beautiful rose away._

_"Gather everyone up into the ballroom," he ordered in a deep voice, and then turned and ascended up the stairs before anyone could ask another question._

_They had gathered everyone they could find into the ballroom, and waited for Prince Adam, quickly whispering to each other._

_Finally, he came down wearing a black cloak to conceal his monstrous body. Rather than looking upset however, this time he looked uncomfortable._

_As soon as he stepped into the ballroom, a few of the furniture and objects lightly gasped, while the others began bombarding him with questions._

_"Alright. Alright." he tried to calm everyone down, but they continued talking and frantically asking questions._

_Suddenly, he became very angry._

_"SHUT UP!" he growled louder than any human being, nearly making the castle walls shake._

_Everyone instantly quieted down._

_"Master," a wooden chest spoke up, "What has happened to us?"_

_Prince Adam stared at all of them for a minute, feeling the scared sadness and confusion heavy in the room. Then, he began to recall everything that had happened between him and the Enchantress; the curse, the rose, and how to break it._

_"So, we were cursed as well, for _Your_ selfishness and rudeness?" a wooden nightstand questioned angrily. Prince Adam didn't know what to say._

_Suddenly, they all began talking loudly again, some of them crying, and some of them yelling angrily._

_"What are we going to do?"_

_"What do we tell our families?"_

_"How can we live like this?" They yelled at him._

_He tried to remain calm and talk to everyone, but he was becoming angry again._

_"ENOUGH!" he roared, slamming his powerful clawed hand into the wall and cracking it. Once more, everyone instantly became silent._

_"No one is leaving this castle! No one is to come into this castle! You will all stay here until I figure out a way to break this curse, and that is an order! NOW GO!" he roared, and everyone quickly began to filter out of the room with fear._

_Prince Adam then ran up the stairs to his father's old room, which was located in the West Wing, farthest away from everyone, and slammed the door furiously._

_Anger boiled in his veins, and he began to throw objects into the walls, breaking them and smashing the furniture that wasn't occupied by a soul. He practically tore, smashed, and knocked over everything in the room. He turned around and looked for more objects when he noticed a painted portrait of himself hanging on the wall. He stared at his face for a minute as he breathed heavily through his snout._

_Why did this happen to him? Why did he have to turn into such an ugly beast? There were far worse people out there and yet, the Enchantress cursed him. It wasn't fair._

_Suddenly, he raised a clawed hand, and swiped it across the portrait, tearing four lines across his once handsome human face, and then fell to his knees and broke down._

_He stayed in his father's room for hours, sulking and staring at the beautiful rose that held his destiny. If he didn't find love until the last pedal fell, he would remain a beast forever._

_Who could ever truly love such an ugly beast? He wondered this as he picked up a small, round table top he hadn't broken, and placed the rose hovering an inch above it. He looked around until he found a large, glass, candle snuffer still in one piece, and gently placed it over the rose to keep it safe._

_Suddenly, there were a set of frantic knocks on the door._

_"What?" Prince Adam growled, and the door opened._

_"Monsieur, Prince Gaston and the Queen are coming back!" Lumiere said frantically._

_"What?" Prince Adam gasped, and ran to the balcony. In the distance, he could see the faint light from the carriage they were riding in._

_"What do we do, Monsieur?" Lumiere asked worriedly._

_"Tell everyone to hide, and do not make one sound!" he ordered and Lumiere nodded, disappearing behind the door._

_What was Prince Adam going to do? He couldn't tell them what had happened! He had to think of something and quick, but what? They would probably think he was just some wild beast that killed everyone!_

That's it!_ Prince Adam thought quickly. He would scare them away, and make them never come back!_

_Prince Adam then grabbed the crown and sword that had once belonged to his father, and ran down the stairs towards the entrance hall where he remained hidden in the shadows, and waited for Gaston and Queen Marcella to show up._

_Minutes later, Prince Adam could hear them approaching the doors. His heart began hammering in his chest._

_"Why are all the lights out?" he heard Gaston asked._

_"I don't know, son. Maybe they all went to bed? It is quite late," Queen Marcella suggested. Prince Adam heard Gaston scoff._

_"Well then, they should have left the lights on, they knew we were coming back!" he sneered._

_They finally approached the castle doors, which were slightly ajar._

_"Why is the door open? Why is it so dark in here? Where is everyone?" Gaston asked loudly as he pushed them open. "Hello!" he called out, annoyed._

_Suddenly, Queen Marcella gasped,_

_"Son, you don't think something terrible has happened to everyone, do you?" she asked worriedly. Before Gaston could answer however, Prince Adam growled deeply._

_Queen Marcella gasped again as Gaston unsheathed his sword._

_"Who's there?" Gaston asked, looking around. "What do you want?"_

_"I am an evil creature, and I have taken over this castle," Prince Adam growled from the shadows, pulling things from the top of his head, and hoping this would work._

_"Where is everyone? What have you done with them?" Gaston demanded. Prince Adam moved swiftly in the shadows, catching their attention._

_"I have killed and devoured them all, and you will have the same fate unless you leave this place," he growled._

_Suddenly, Queen Marcella clasped her hands over her mouth; her eyes wide with fear._

_"Show yourself!" Gaston barked, but Queen Marcella grabbed at her son's arm._

_"Gaston! Let us leave! Now!" she whispered frantically, but Gaston stood his ground._

_"I said show yourself you monster!" he yelled._

_Suddenly, Prince Adam quickly jumped out snarling, and swiped at them. Though, he only knocked them down, and disappeared back into the shadows, for he did not want to give them the chance to recognize him._

_Queen Marcella screamed as they fell to the floor, clutching onto Gaston as he tried to hold his sword out steady in front of them._

_"Leave now and never come back, or you will surely be eaten!" Prince Adam growled in the shadows. "Do not send anyone here unless they wish death upon themselves!" he said, and he threw his late father's crown and sword towards them._

_Gaston quickly snatched them up, realizing who the objects once belonged to._

_Suddenly, Prince Adam roared as loud as he could, nearly making the castle walls shake._

_Gaston and Queen Marcella quickly scrambled up off of the stone floor, and without another word they ran out of the castle._

_Prince Adam ran over to the doors and slammed them shut, then listened as they got inside the carriage and took off. He quickly ran back up the stairs, to the library windows that faced the front of the castle, and watched them as they quickly descended down the pathway towards the village._

_Remembering the magical mirror the Enchantress had given him, he picked it up, and suddenly, he could see a frightful Gaston and Queen Marcella racing back toward the village._

_They did not tell any of the villagers right away, and instead took shelter for the night, for they were going to speak to them in the morning._

_Prince Adam stayed up all night watching them, for he could not sleep, and when the morning finally came, he watched as they gathered all of the villagers in the town square._

_"What is going on? Why have we been summoned?" one of the villagers questioned._

_"People, listen." Gaston raised his voice, and the confused whispers stopped as they waited for him to speak._

_"A terrible tragedy has occurred," he said, and whispers broke out again._

_"A monstrous beast, unlike any I have ever encountered, had taken over the kingdom's castle late last night. Prince Adam is dead," he said with a hard face, and a few of the villagers gasped, clasping their hands over their mouths._

_"You can't be serious?"_

_"What kind of monster? Did you see it?"_

_"What proof do you have?" one of the villagers called out, and Gaston pulled out the sword and the crown. Immediately, everyone recognized the objects as King Edward's, and gasped._

_"Let's go up there and kill it!" The villagers began to call out, and a few of the shouted in agreement, but Queen Marcella raised her arms._

_"No. Under my command is no one to go up there, for it is far too dangerous. Anyone who is foolish to try it shall stay up there, for you will not be allowed back into this village. This goes for everyone, even my son," she said with a glance over at Gaston, who looked rather annoyed._

_"Well, what are we going to do? What if the beast comes down here?" one of the women asked worriedly._

_"We are going to build a protective wall and lookout towers around the village, and we are going to tear down the old library and build a new castle there," Gaston announced._

_Suddenly, Prince Adam could see the beautiful brunette, Belle, step forward from the crowd._

_"What? No! You cannot tear down the library!" she frowned heavily._

_"Yes, we can. It is the biggest building in this town, and is far too old anyway. It will provide the people with a castle closer into the village."_

_"But it is a part of our history! You cannot just tear it down!" she said angrily, and an old man that Prince Adam assumed to be her father, stepped forward, trying to quiet her down._

_"The building is of no use to us. No one ever visits there anymore, Belle," Gaston shook his head in annoyance, and it seemed that a few of the others agreed._

_"I still visit there!" she said angrily, her eyebrows creased._

_Suddenly, anger flashed across Gaston's face, "Listen to yourself, you foolish girl! How can you be so selfish when there has been a tragedy that has befallen us? You would rather us keep an old, worn-down library for your own enjoyment rather than provide the people with protection and security? Are you that undeniably selfish?" he spat at her, and all of the villagers turned their eyes on her._

_She opened her mouth, but closed it and became quiet as her cheeks became flushed. She finally stepped back with her father, and stared down hard at the ground._

_"Anyone else?" Gaston questioned the rest of the villagers, but all was quiet._

_"It is settled, then. No one is to go up to the castle, and we will tear down the old library to build a new one starting today," he announced. "Let today be known as the start of a new era, and let us bow our heads in respect for the deceased, and for our fallen future king, Prince Adam."_

_Finally, Prince Adam set the mirror down next to the protective glass that held the glowing, beautiful rose._

_"…Now what do we do?" Lumiere asked him quietly as he stared out of the window._

_"…Monsieur?"_

_"I…do not know," Prince Adam sighed as he looked down in defeat._

_All in one night, the life he once knew, the life he had taken for granted…was gone._

Days had passed, and no one ever came back up to the castle under the Queen's command.

Soon, the days had turned into weeks, and the weeks turned into months.

Once or twice, daring men had tried to prove their bravery by sneaking out and coming up towards the castle to see the beast, but if the pack of hungry wolves that had made a home in the forest just outside of the castle walls didn't stop them, then Prince Adam surely would.

As the days counted on, poor Prince Adam still hadn't found a way to break the curse. He became even more angry, bitter, and mean, and before they knew it, ten years had gone by.

Nearly all of the villagers had forgotten about the beast as Prince Adam never showed himself, and he even became a scary story for the village children.

Everyone inside the castle lost all hope as the years went by, and they accepted the fact that they were going to be stuck like this for the rest of their lives.

Now, they just counted down the months till Prince Adam's twenty-sixth birthday.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Hello! Before we begin, I'd like to thank you guys for the awesomesauce reviews :3 I'm glad you guys are liking the story so far, and I hope to continue to please!  
I'm really excited about this story, and I hope you guys are too. :) Some of the dialogue does follow the movie, but I am trying to put my own twist in it as well, so I hope you guys like it.  
With that said, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Sorry it took a bit to post, but here it is!  
Excuse any typos (evil cow typos e_e They're like ninjas. Evil ninja cow typos.)...  
And enjoy!**_

* * *

Belle woke up to the sun shining brightly into her room. She yawned and stretched her body awake, and then sat up. From her bed she could see two, cute, yellows birds singing proudly on a tree branch just outside her window, and she imagined what they would be singing about. Perhaps how nice the weather was today, or how it might be a good day for a bath. She smiled warmly to herself, and got up to get ready for the day.

Once she was done, wearing one of her favorite blue dresses, and pulling her hair back into a simple ponytail, she stepped into the small kitchen, but it was empty.

Papa must be in the basement. Belle thought to herself as she grabbed an apple from the small fruit basket, and the book she had just finished as she headed outside.

Belle and her father lived alone together, having lost her mother to sickness when she was just a baby. It saddened her to not have a mother, but she couldn't be more grateful to have such a loving and caring father who worked so hard to provide a decent life for them.

They didn't have much money, but always just enough to get by. Her father refused Belle to work, for his pride wouldn't allow it, but she would secretly help out the villagers when she could. She mainly helped the elderly where they weren't able, and they would sometimes repay her with coins, but mostly with food or necessities, and she would sneak them back home.

Her father worked as a blacksmith that paid very little money, but his heart was in his inventions, and for years he would enter them into the fair in hopes of winning the grand prize, but that day was still yet to come.

At times her father would become defeated and give up hope of ever winning, but Belle always encouraged her father to keep trying, for she believed that dreams do come true, and that soon their day would come.

Belle always had hope. She always tried to look at the brighter, beautiful side of things, and never tried to dwell on the bad, for it did nothing but bring sadness. Hope was something beautiful, and she believed there was beauty in everything. She was also a firm believer that everything happened for a reason. 

All through her childhood and into her young adult years, everyone always thought Belle as one of the most beautiful girls in the village, but she thought otherwise. Even as most men of the village sought after her, she just did not see it. She only thought of herself as a plain and simple girl with big hopes and dreams.

Many a times, men in the village had asked for her hand in marriage, and many a times had she considered it, just to provide better for her and her father, but they both knew that in doing so wouldn't provide true happiness. Her and her father would rather be happy and poor, than rich and miserable. Not to mention the fact that Belle was more of an independent woman.

Growing up without a mother and a constantly working father, Belle learned to take care of herself at an early age. When the men of the village would promise to take care of everything for her so that she could live the happy, comfortable life of a housewife, she just didn't seem fond of the idea. She didn't like the thought of always staying home and waiting for her husband to return after a day's work only to feed and clean up after him. The only man she would ever willingly and happily do that for was her father.

The villagers thought it strange of her to want to take care of herself, but that wasn't the only thing they thought strange about her-No one truly ever understood her love for books.

It wasn't normal for a beautiful village girl to want to read and take care of herself instead of finding a husband whom she would cook and clean for, and provide many children.

All through her life the village girls always made fun of her for this, and the older village men looked down on her for it, but her father always supported and defended her, and that was all she ever needed.

She didn't dream of being a housewife and standing behind her husband, and doing everything he asked of her just to make him happy. She dreamt of a life of adventure and excitement, and the books she read gave her hope that someday she would have that kind of a life with a man who would support her and treat her as an equal. Someone who would help her with cleaning and cooking, as well as allow her to be her own woman.

However, every man she came across didn't picture it that way, and until the day she would meet that man, she kept her admiration for her books.

* * *

As Belle entered the busy streets of town, many of the villagers greeted her.

"Bonjour, Belle!"

"Good morning, Mademoiselle Belle!"

"Morning, Monsieur! Bonjour, Madame!" Belle greeted them back as she made her way through town.

"Where are you off to on this fine day?" the baker, a short and plump man asked as she walked by.

"Oh, I am on my way to the bookshop." She stopped and pulled out her book, "I just finished a wonderful story about a beanstalk and an ogre, and-"

"Glad to hear it! I'm sure you'll do well if you try hard!" he interrupted her, obviously not hearing a word she had said as he placed a variety of bread on his cart. "Marie! Hurry up! The customers are waiting!"

Belle frowned slightly, but sighed and turned to continue on her way. She was used to people not really caring about the stories she had read anyway.

She finally made it to the bookshop and smiled warmly to see the bookseller inside through a gap in the books that nearly covered the window.

Although she did love the bookshop, she missed the library greatly. She missed the long aisles of shelves, all lined with books ranging from cookbooks, to fairytale stories, to biographies and so much more. She missed the specific smell of aged wood and paper, and the vast silence that allowed one to read comfortably in the library.

Now, it was a silent memory; one that she would cherish for as long as she lived.

She finally opened the door to the bookshop, which could only be open halfway due to the great amount of stacked books they managed to salvage from the large library, and bring to the little shop before they tore it down.

"Oh! Good morning, Belle! What brings you here?" the old bookseller, Bernard, smiled.

If there was anyone besides her father who approved of her endless book reading, it was Bernard.

"Don't I always come here?" Belle giggled, causing Bernard to let forth a laugh.

"That is true! However, I would have thought that the last book you borrowed would have taken more than just a day to read!" he smiled as she handed him the book.

"Oh, but I couldn't put it down! Have you got anything new?" she asked as she approached one of the bookshelves where he kept most of his new books, looking through them excitedly.

"Not since yesterday." he chuckled, shaking his head gently.

"That's quite alright, I'll just borrow… This one again," she said, reaching up and grabbing the familiar blue cover, sliding it out from between the others.

"Again? But haven't you read that twice already?" Bernard asked surprised.

"Three times, actually. It's one of my favorites!" Belle smiled widely as she clutched onto the book, and he chuckled again.

"Well, if you like it that much, then it is yours!"

"But sir! I couldn't possibly-"

"Oh, I insist!" Bernard nodded as they walked towards the door. "A beautiful story for a beautiful girl!"

Belle blushed as she looked down at the book, and then back up, "Well, thank you. Thank you very much!"

Bernard smiled widely, and they said their goodbyes as she left the shop with her newly owned book in hand.

Unable to contain herself, she opened the book, immediately finding one of her favorite chapters, and began to read as she walked. She had become used to passing through the town and the villagers while reading at the same time, and had proven to be quite skillful at it.

As she passed by a few more of the villagers and shops who were busy getting ready for the day, she passed by one of the taverns where a few men and a couple of women were standing outside of it talking.

"There she goes. Always with her nose in a book…" She heard one of the women whisper to another.

"How strange. What's so fun about reading anyway?" Another whispered, and Belle tried to ignore them as she kept walking.

"Who knows. You'd think with natural looks like that, she would pay more attention to herself than those books she reads…"

"Yeah, and finally find a husband. She's not going to get any younger, and neither is her father…"

Even though Belle still had her book open, she had stopped reading and was now frowning down at it.

Sometimes it did hurt when she heard their whispers about her. Most of the time she wouldn't let it get to her, but there were days when she felt like everyone was judging her. Why couldn't they just accept it? Why did they have to make her seem like the odd one out?

_That's because you are the odd one out. You wish for a life that no one else does._ She mentally sighed to herself, and continued to read as she walked away.

Suddenly, she felt someone tap on her right shoulder and she looked over, but found no one there. She felt another tap on her left shoulder and quickly turned her head, but again, no one was behind her.

"Hello, Belle!" Someone suddenly said in her right ear, and she looked over to see Christophe, a lanky, blonde boy, walking next to her.

"Oh, bonjour Christophe!" She smiled at him as they continued to walk. "How are you?"

"Good! Just finished the last delivery of papers." He smiled proudly.

Belle and Christophe had been friends ever since they were children. He was a few years younger than her, but as soon as they met, they had bonded right away.

"How are you?" he asked in return.

"I'm well! I just picked up this book from the bookshop, and Bernard said I could keep it since it is one of my favorites!" She smiled excitedly, holding the book up.

"Ah, Belle. You and your reading." Christophe shook his head teasingly, and Belle frowned.

Christophe never had a problem with Belle's love for books, but he was never an admirer of reading, and truth be told, he wasn't very good at it.

"What? You know how much I love reading," she defended, and he put his hands up.

"I know, I know. I just don't understand why you like to read so much. Don't you get bored?" he asked her curiously, and she shook her head, her eyes turning back toward the pages as she stared at them longingly.

"No. I will always want to read a book… Just about as bad as you want to become a hunter," she shot back with a smirk at the end, and Christophe made a face at her.

"Touché."

It was true, Christophe wanted to be apart of the widely known hunting group that Prince Gaston had assembled, but they always shot him down. They would always tell him he was too clumsy, too scrawny, and not skilled enough to withstand the "extremities" of hunting.

"How is that coming along, anyway?" she asked him, and he sighed.

"Alright. I went to the tryouts yesterday, but…" he trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck.

"But what?" Belle pressed on.

"Well… I ended up hitting the metal post on the target, and the arrow ricocheted off and hit Edgar in the rear. They had to take him to the hospital." Christophe said dejectedly.

"Oh, Christophe. I'm so sorry." Belle frowned, but he shrugged.

"Eh, least it wasn't as bad as last year when I shot myself in the foot with my arrow. They all laughed at me then."

"Well, you'll get in next year if you continue to practice. I'm sure of it," Belle encouraged with a nod, and Christophe smiled warmly.

"Merci, Belle."

"Excuse me!" A loud voice boomed behind them, causing Belle to jump.

Suddenly, Christophe was roughly pushed to the side, nearly running into the wall of a building they were passing by as Prince Gaston appeared next to Belle, LeFou trailing behind as usual.

"Hello, Belle." He smiled at her.

"Bonjour, Gaston." She forced a smile.

Over the years, Gaston had developed a rather great interest in Belle, and constantly bothered her with marriage proposals that she had no intentions of accepting.

While Gaston was incredibly handsome, muscular, and rugged, and nearly every village girl drooled over him, he was exceedingly egotistical, obnoxious and rude.

He and everyone else, including Belle, knew that any girl in the village would say yes in a heartbeat to any kind of marriage proposal from him, but he specifically sought out Belle, the only girl who would ever say no.

She never understood why he was so persistent of her, besides the fact that he thought she was the prettiest girl in the entire village, but she was the complete opposite of Gaston. Their personalities clashed like none other, but he always continued to try.

Everyone thought Belle crazy to turn down the handsome, rich, future king, but she didn't care about status, wealth or looks. His attitude, his big head, and his bigotry is what kept her away. She couldn't force herself to deal with someone like that, no matter how hard she tried.

"Hello, Monsieur Gaston!" Christophe pushed his way forward again, getting in between Belle and Gaston, who now looked annoyed, but Belle was grateful.

"Sorry about the tryouts yesterday, but I was hoping that maybe-"

"Yeah, yeah. Listen, kid, don't you have some papers to deliver or something?" Gaston interrupted him, wrapping his large arm around Christophe's skinny neck and nearly choking him as they walked.

"N-No, I just finished my-"

"That's great. Well, I have some important matters to discuss with Belle, so get lost," he said, shoving Christophe back, who stumbled back and tripped over an unsuspecting LeFou.

"Hey! Watch it! -Wait up, Gaston!" LeFou called out, trying to push Christophe off of him.

"Gaston-!" Belle said angrily, turning back to help Christophe, but he draped his arm over Belle's shoulders and forced her to walk forward with him.

"Belle, I-" Gaston started, but he paused when he looked down at her.

Suddenly, he snatched the book she still had open in her hands, and began to flip through the pages.

"Gaston, please give me my book back," she said with annoyance as he stared at the book with confusion.

"How can you even read this junk? There are no pictures!"

"Well, some people use their imagination. Why don't you try it sometime?" she asked him, but he made a face, and suddenly tossed her book behind him.

"Gaston!"

"Listen, Belle, it's about time you get your head out of those stupid books and paid attention to more important things."

"What could be more important that requires my attention so?" Belle asked angrily as she picked up her book, dusting it off and fixing the pages.

"Me… and your hand in marriage," he said with a smirk as he held his own hand out towards her.

"Thanks, but I'd rather not," she said, holding on tightly to her book, and he frowned just as LeFou finally caught up to them.

"Now, excuse me, but I'd like to read my book."

"Belle, it's not right for a woman to read," Gaston said as he made a face.

"Why not?" she frowned at him.

"Well, soon she starts getting ideas… and thinking that she can go out and work, and support herself…" He shook his head in disapproval.

"And what is wrong with that?" Belle crossed her arms as she raised an eyebrow at him.

"It's just not right. Women are supposed to be at home, taking care of the cleaning and the cooking, and taking care of the children… You fill your head with these stupid fantasies, and soon every woman will think she can do it," he said and LeFou nodded vigorously in agreement.

"Gaston, you are a positively primeval man." Belle shook her head with a scowl.

"Why thank you, Belle." He smiled widely at her.

"That wasn't a compliment-"

"Anyways," he draped his arm over her shoulders and pulled her close. She tried to lean away, but he kept a firm hold.

"Why don't you take a walk with me down to the tavern? You can take a look at all of my hunting trophies." He smiled, ignoring her rising irritation.

"You should, Belle! He's got some great new ones!" LeFou said excitedly.

"Maybe some other time."

"Awe, come on, Belle. You know you want to. Everyone loves seeing my trophies," Gaston encouraged as he leaned his face closer to hers, flashing his signature smirk that made most girls melt.

However, Belle made a face as she leaned away, and she finally shrugged his arm off of her shoulders, stepping away.

"Honestly, I'd rather get more acquainted with a door nail than to see your hunting trophies," she said, and LeFou tried to stifle a laugh as Gaston glared at him.

"You know, any girl in her right mind would love to hang on my arm and join me-Even just to be in my presence! What's wrong with you?" he asked her with a sneer, and she stared at him angrily.

"Well, have you tried considering the thought that I am not like 'any girl'? And there is nothing wrong with me! Why don't you try being more civilized?" she shot back, and he raised his eyebrows in disbelief.

"Me? Be more civilized? A king doesn't have to be civilized. A king can do whatever he wants, whenever he wants," he said and once again, LeFou nodded his head.

"You're not a king, Gaston. Last time I checked, your mother still rules this village."

"For now," he rolled his eyes. "I do not wish death upon my mother, but she is getting old, and soon I will take over and rule this place the way it should be-by a man." he puffed out his chest, "And every handsome king needs a beautiful queen to stand behind him, to bear his children, and to take care of them. Not spend their days reading silly books and daydreaming about mindless fantasies that will never come true."

"When did you become such an arrogant jerk, Gaston? You weren't nearly this bad when Prince Adam was alive-"

"DON'T you dare say his name!" Gaston suddenly yelled as he stepped forward, and Belle immediately became quiet as she took a few steps back, shocked by Gaston's sudden outburst. Even LeFou seemed surprised as he cowered.

He stared angrily at her, and finally, she had enough. She straightened up and rose her chin,

"Why don't you take one of those "right-minded girls" and show her your trophies instead, and tell her how a woman should think and subsist. I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time. Good day, Gaston. LeFou," Belle said angrily, and immediately turned to leave.

"Wait, wait, wait. I'm sorry," Gaston quickly said, stepping in front of her and blocking her path. She stared up angrily at him.

"I'm sorry," he apologized again, and took a calming breath. "Please, Belle. Would you care to join me to the tavern?" he tried to ask more politely, but she shook her head, not falling for it.

"No, Gaston, I will not. Besides, I have to go help my father," she said, stepping around him.

"That crazy old loon, he needs all the help he can get!" LeFou suddenly burst into laughter, immediately forgetting who he was talking to.

Belle quickly spun around, glaring at him angrily, and he quickly stopped laughing, a fearful look crossing his face.

"Don't talk about my father that way!" she nearly yelled at him. "He is not crazy! He is a genius! You'll see one day, when he becomes a famous inventor!"

Her father was and had always been a sensitive subject for her. Not only did people think she was strange, but they also thought her father was a crazy, old man that they could make fun of for their own enjoyment, and she was just as protective over him as he was her.

Without another word, she turned on her heel and headed straight home, anger boiling in her chest.

* * *

"Papa? Papa are you in here?" Belle called down to the basement, walking in.

Suddenly, there was a loud boom, and smoke immediately filled the basement. Belle covered her mouth with her sleeve to protect her from the smoke as she could hear her father coughing.

"Doggone, blasted thing!" Maurice said angrily, trying to brush off all of the black dust that coated him.

"Are you alright, Papa?" Belle asked, walking forward as the dust settled.

"I'm about ready to give up on this pitiful hunk of junk!" he said, tossing one of his tools noisily onto the counter.

"Oh, Papa, you always say that," Belle said softly with a smile.

"No, Belle. I mean it this time! I'll never get this wretched contraption to work!" he huffed.

"Yes, you will, Papa. And when you do, you'll win first prize at the fair." She nodded firmly.

He stared at her for a moment, his face skeptical.

"You really believe in your old man that much?" he asked her, and she nodded, smiling widely.

Suddenly, she could see the stress on his face, and she frowned slightly. She wished there was something she could do to help him.

"Have you eaten yet today, Papa?" she then asked, and he shook his head with a grumble, wiping his face with a handkerchief.

"Well, take a break and come upstairs. I'll make you lunch," Belle said with a smile, and she waited as her father contemplated for a moment, before finally sighing and heading upstairs with her to the house.

"So, what did you do today?" he asked her as he sat down at the table while she prepared lunch for them.

"I went into town and returned that book I borrowed yesterday," she smiled, and his face became surprised.

"You already finished it?"

"Mhm." She nodded as she got plates out.

"Goodness, Belle! I think you're the fastest reader in this entire village!" Maurice laughed heartily, and she couldn't help but laugh as well.

"Thank you, Papa. Bernard, the bookseller, also let me have one of my favorite books to take home!"

"Oh really? How much did it cost?" he asked as his brow creased.

She chuckled and shook her head as she set the food down, sitting down as well. "I didn't buy it from him, he gave it to me for free!"

"Oh, well that was nice of him!" Maurice smiled, "Err-Not that it wouldn't have been a problem if you bought it…"

He chuckled with slight nervousness as he looked away, and Belle felt sadness in her, as she could tell that her father was trying to cover up the fact that they didn't have much money to spend on things like that. He always tried to cover it up as if Belle was too naïve to know, but she went along with it anyway.

As they started to eat, she couldn't help but think of the whispers and comments people made about her today, and she finally looked up from her food.

"Papa," she paused, unsure of how to word it.

"Yes, Belle?"

"Do you think… Do you think I'm odd?" she asked him, and he stared at her with a puzzled expression.

"My daughter? Odd?" he questioned, and she nodded. "Where would you get an idea like that?"

"Oh, I don't know…" She frowned as she looked down at her food. "I'm just not really sure I fit in around here. There's no one I can really talk to."

"What about Christophe?"

"Well, yes I can talk to him, but only so much. He's so concerned about getting into that hunting group now that it's almost the only thing he talks about." She sighed as she rested her chin in her hand.

"Well, what about Gaston? He's a pretty handsome fellow! And I've heard he's got his eye on you." Maurice smirked with a wink, oblivious to how Gaston really was in person.

"He's handsome alright." Belle nodded with irritation, confusing her father. "And rude, and conceited! Did you know he thinks it isn't right for a woman to read?"

"Does he now?" her father asked, his eyebrows pulling together, and Belle nodded.

"He thinks a woman's place should always be behind the man, and that she should be at home all the time cleaning, cooking, having as many children as she can. It's just so… It's just so… Ugh." Belle shook her head in disgust, becoming angrier by the minute.

"I understand, Sweetheart," her father said gently as he reached out and placed his hand on hers. "But you have to understand that's how people are taught around here. That is what they were told growing up."

"I know," Belle said gloomily as she stared down at the table with a frown.

"Well, don't you worry," Maurice suddenly spoke up with a lighter tone, "As soon as I get my invention working and win that grand prize, I'll move us to a place where women can read as many books as she wants, and no one will tell her otherwise!" he said excitedly with a nod, and Belle couldn't help the wide grin that spread across her face. He always knew the right things to say to her.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

"Belle? Are you home?" Christophe's voice came through the other side of the door.

Belle quickly got up to answer it, allowing him inside.

"Oh, Christophe, I'm sorry about earlier," she frowned, but he shook his head.

"Nah, don't worry about it. He's always pushing me around like that, but I know he's just playing rough- Oh, bonjour Maurice." he smiled, and as the two men greeted each other, Belle couldn't force the frown away as she felt sorry for Christophe.

The difference between her and Christophe was that he tried so hard to fit in with the other men, especially because he was weaker and lankier; whereas she didn't want to try to fit in. She just wanted to be herself, and wished that people would accept her for who she was; plain and simple Belle.

"Anyways, I came by to see if you were doing anything?"

"Oh, no. I just finished lunch with Papa."

"Great! Would you like to go down to the pond with me?" he asked hopefully, and Belle turned towards her father.

"Go ahead. I'll clean up here." he smiled, standing up.

"Are you sure?" Belle asked, and he nodded, shooing her away.

"Yes, yes. Now, go on. Have fun."

"Thank you, Papa. I love you!" Belle called out as she followed Christophe outside.

"I love you too!"

Together, her and Christophe went to one of their favorite places: a pond just outside of the village where trees and beautiful flowers bloomed. However, the scenery now took on an orange glow as fall had approached them, but it was still beautiful nonetheless.

"So, I heard you told Gaston off after I left?" Christophe asked as they sat down near the edge of the water.

"How did you hear that?" Belle asked him, playing with the turning grass.

"He was ranting about it in the tavern."

"Oh…"

"He said you were just in denial though, and that you will come to your senses." he shrugged, tossing a pebble into the pond.

Belle shook her head with irritation, "If coming to my senses means marrying him, then I'd rather be insane."

Christophe chuckled, which in turn caused Belle to smile.

"Why don't you like him?" he then asked with questioning eyes, causing her smile to fade.

"What is there to like about him?" Belle tilted her head.

"Well, he's handsome, he's rich, he's the best hunter around, and he's going to be king…" Christophe trailed off, "Everyone practically loves him. Everyone, but you, and you're the one he wants to marry."

Belle sighed as she looked down towards the ground, "I don't know, I just don't think the way everyone else does. He may be handsome and all, but he's rude and chauvinistic. I don't want to be a wife that just stand quietly behind a man. Especially one like him."

"What do you mean?" Christophe asked curiously.

"I want a life of adventure and happiness. I want mutual respect, to be treated as an equal," Belle said as she laid on her side, resting on her elbow while she played with one of the few dandelions. "I want people to stop judging me so much, and thinking that I have to marry a man to be happy."

"You don't want to get married?"

"Of course I do, but I want to marry someone who loves me, for me. Not just because they think I'm beautiful… And someone who likes to read just as much as I do." she chuckled at the end.

"Well, maybe if you married Gaston and became the Queen, you could change that." Christophe suggested, but Belle shook her head.

"Gaston would never allow anything like that, he's too narrow-minded and conceited. Not to mention the fact that he hates reading." Belle rolled her eyes.

It was silent for a moment as Belle continued to play with the dandelion.

"Well, cheer up, Belle. You'll find that man someday." he smiled as she looked at him.

"Thanks, Christophe."

They continued to hang out around the town for the rest of the day, venturing into the little shops in town, and going to see some of the local farm animals until nightfall came, and Christophe walked Belle home.

"Well, thank you for today. I had fun," Belle said as they reached her house.

"Me too. Bonsoir, Belle." he smiled, and did an extreme low bow with his hand out, causing Belle to giggle.

"Goodnight, Christophe." Belle curtsied in return, and he began to walk away.

She finally went inside to head to bed, and as she laid there, staring out of the window into the night sky, she began to think about the conversation her and Christophe had by the pond.

She really did want to get married someday, but she could only hope that it was with someone who loved her because of who she was inside, and not just because of how she looked outside. Someone who did not judge a book by its cover, but the content of its pages.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Woot woot! Another chapter :D (I'm already working on the next one! :D Yay! So excited!)**_

_**Okay, I shall keep this short and sweet. Excuse any evil ninja cow typos (e_e moo.), and enjoy. :3**_

* * *

The next day, Belle woke up to an empty house again, but as she heard no sounds from the basement, she figured her father must be working in town.

After she got dressed and ate breakfast, she didn't really feel like venturing into town today, and instead decided to stay home and read.

She really loved getting lost in her books, and sometimes she would feel like she was actually apart of the story. She truly felt the boiling anger the warrior felt when his men were losing the battle against the dragons. She felt the saddening loss of the fairy mother when her child adventured off into the deep forest to save the other fairies from the evil witch. She even felt the immense love when the hunter finally saved the princess from the band of terrible ogres.

Oh, how she wished she had a life like that. Not just a life where she was in danger, or being chased by ravenous creatures, but a life of discovering new things and possibilities.

Soon, hours had begun to pass as she continued to read, and suddenly, there was a knock on the door, pulling her from her story.

_That must be Christophe._ Belle smiled warmly to herself, and got up to answer the door.

As soon as she opened it, however, her smiled faded as her eyes landed on none other than Gaston.

"Hello, Belle." He flashed her his signature smirk.

"Bonjour, Gaston. Can I help you?" she asked, already wanting to get rid of him so she could continue with her reading. She was in no mood to deal with him today— or any day, for that matter.

"Can I come in?"

"I don't know, my father isn't here and the house is a mess—" she tried to make up excuses, but Gaston pushed his way through.

"That's quite alright."

She sighed as she shut the door behind them, and turned to find Gaston looking through all of the little knick-knacks and small contraptions her father had built over the years that were displayed around the house; a look of confusion on his face.

"What the heck does this thing do?" he questioned, toying with one of them.

"Can I help you with something, Gaston?" Belle questioned him anxiously while trying to keep the irritation out of her voice.

"Hmm? —Oh, right." Gaston finally turned towards her, a smile spreading on his face. "I came to ask if you would like to join me for lunch at the castle as an apology for my rude behavior yesterday."

"That's very nice of you," Belle said with hesitation, "But I wasn't planning on going out today."

"Then, we can have lunch here if you would like." Gaston suggested, and Belle looked away.

"I don't know, Gaston…"

"Why not?" he pouted, and it reminded her of a spoiled child.

"Because," Belle paused, wondering how to word this in such a way that they wouldn't get into an argument, because she knew what would happen during the lunch: He would apologize, she would reluctantly accept, and he would propose again as he has done so many times before, resulting in her saying no and him becoming angry.

"We're just too different, you and I." She finally just came out with it.

"Well, excuse me, Belle, but you haven't quite given us the chance," Gaston said, crossing his arms over his broad chest.

"I have, Gaston." Belle nodded, "Remember the last time I went to dinner with you at Madame Adrienne's, and you ended up getting rather drunk and leaving me there?" she asked, and Gaston tried to remember, but simply shrugged.

"I don't, but that was the young me, Belle. I'm much more mature now." he nodded, and Belle sighed.

"That was a month ago, Gaston."

"Well— I…" Gaston stammered, rubbing the back of his neck and quickly trying to rack his brain for something to say.

Finally, he sighed, "Belle, why do you insist on turning me down? I've got the looks, the wealth, the power… Marrying me would make all of your dreams come true," he said with confidence.

"There are plenty of other beautiful women in the village who would love to marry you, Gaston. Why do you insist that I do?"

"Because Belle, everyone believes I am the most handsome man in this village, and you the most beautiful woman."

"So? What does appearances have to do with us getting married?" she asked with a raised eyebrow as she crossed her arms.

"It has to do with everything," he said in a serious tone. "And because it's what I want, and it's what the people want. You want the people happy, don't you?" he asked her.

"Yes, I do, but why should I have to sacrifice my happiness for the want of others?"

"You are certain you wouldn't be happy with me?" Gaston frowned at her, his own irritation rising.

"I'm sorry, but yes." She nodded her head confidently, and he glared.

"How do you know if you haven't even tried? Can you see the future? Hmm?" he sneered, and she sighed. He just didn't know how to take no for an answer, especially after numerous times.

"Oh, face it, Gaston. You know you and I are just too different. We don't get along. We wouldn't be happy together." she shook her head, trying to reason with him.

"You don't know that Belle." he said with irritation. "You're just in denial!"

"Look at us now! We cannot even be together for a moment without bickering," she said desperately.

Slowly, Gaston was becoming angry. He really didn't like being told no.

"Well, if you would get your nose out of those childish books, and learn some manners and respect, and your place in this world, then it _wouldn't be_ like this!" he raised his voice, and Belle became angry.

"You cannot tell me how to live my life, Gaston! You may very well become King someday, but you do not tell me how to live _my_ life, that _I_ own!" she raised her voice back at him.

He suddenly walked up to her, but she didn't back away, and stood her ground as his face came close to hers, trying to intimidate her.

"Watch your mouth! When I become King, I will see to it that you learn your place, Belle, which will be behind me."

"And if I refuse?" she asked him, her face hard.

"You won't," he shook his head as a smirk spread on his face, "Because if you don't marry me by the time I become King, even your father will wish you had."

"Is that a threat?" Belle asked, shock and anger crossing her face. "Because I don't think that is the proper way to win me over."

"No. Think of it more like a proposition," he said as he straightened up, and she could see a plan forming in his mind as his smile widened. "If you marry me, I'll see to it that your father has everything he needs to become that famous inventor he is so desperate to be. He will have all of the money and supplies he needs."

Belle stared at him in disbelief. Was he really going to stoop down to this level, just to get her to marry him?

Now that she thought about it, this actually didn't surprise her. He would do something like this, and he knew she had a soft spot for her father.

"How dare you!" she said with a loud voice, and he looked mildly surprised. "You cannot bribe me or guilt me into marrying you, Gaston! That is incredibly selfish and very low of you," she said angrily, and walked over to the door, opening it. "Now, I suggest you leave. Please."

It was silent for a moment before he finally walked over to the door, their eyes staring intently at each other, but just as he reached it, he paused.

Suddenly, he slammed the door closed, and reached out to her, grabbing her head. He pulled her toward him, catching her off-guard as he smashed his lips onto hers.

She froze only for a moment, until her anger quickly rose, and she shoved him back, reaching up and slapping him hard across the face.

His head slightly jerked to the side, but he quickly looked back at her with anger and hunger burning in his eyes. She immediately became scared and turned to run, unsure of where, but anywhere to get away from him, but he grabbed her arm and pushed her roughly into the nearest wall.

She made to move, but he put his hands out on the wall on either sides of her, trapping her there.

"Stop fighting it, Belle! We are meant to be together!" he said angrily in her face.

"No, we're not! Leave me alone!" she yelled, and tried to push him away, but he grabbed her wrists and pinned her body to the wall with his.

He tried to kiss her again, but she turned her head away.

"Get off of me, Gaston!" She struggled with him, but his grip was too powerful.

"Is this what you want? Is this the kind of excitement you're looking for?" He asked in her ear as he continued to hold her wrists. "Because I can make this exciting."

"No! Let go! You are hurting me!"

Belle was becoming scared. She couldn't get out of his grip, and there was no one here to help her, to see what Gaston was doing to her. Who would believe her, anyway? Her, a strange, poor girl's word against the handsome, loved, future king's? She wouldn't win.

"I can give you the life that so many women desire. I can make you a Queen! All you have to do is say yes."

"I will not! Now let me go!" she said through clenched teeth. She was not going to give in, no matter what it took.

All of a sudden, and to her immediate relief, there was a voice just outside of the door, causing both of them to stop.

"Belle? Are you in there?" Maurice's voice came through. "I need help with Philippe. I swear, he only listens to you." They heard him chuckle.

"Yes! Yes, I am in here, Papa!" she hurriedly called out, and she felt Gaston's grip lessen slightly.

She quickly yanked her arms out of his grasp and shoved him back, hurrying towards the door and opening it widely before Gaston could do anything further.

"What are you doing?" Maurice asked when he saw the flustered Belle step out, and then quickly spotted Gaston behind her, and smiled widely. "Oh, bonjour, Gaston!"

"Hello, Monsieur Maurice," Gaston nodded his head, fixing his clothes properly.

"What brings you here?" he asked, adjusting his bag and other things he was carrying as he held onto Philippe's reins. He was oblivious to the tension between the two.

"I just came by to visit Belle, but I'm afraid I cannot stay," he said, stepping out of the house. "I have important errands to attend to."

"Oh, that's a shame," he frowned. "Well, it was good to see you!" he called out as he began to lead Philippe around to the side of the house.

"Good day, Maurice." he nodded with a small smile, watching him leave.

Once he was gone, Belle looked up to see him staring at her intensely.

"This is not over yet, Belle," he said quietly so only she would hear. "You will become my wife. I'll make sure of it."

"I'd rather perish than marry you," she said acidly with her fists clenched, for she was so full of anger at what he had tried to do, but he merely smirked at her.

With that, he walked away, leaving Belle to stare after him angrily. She could feel hot tears beginning to find their way towards her eyes, but she fought hard to keep them at bay, and took a deep calming breath before finally turning around to go help her father.

* * *

"How was work, Papa?" Belle asked, putting up a calm front after she had finally finished putting Philippe away and they entered the house. She soon began to prepare a late lunch for him.

"Not too bad. Arthur let me off early, but I stopped by Madame Claudette's today because she needed help fixing her gate, and she offered a basket of fresh baked bread for it. She's going to bring it by tomorrow." he smiled, sitting down at the table and pulling out what looked like sketches and prints of his latest invention, looking them over.

"That's wonderful, Papa." Belle forced a convincing smile, setting his food down next to his papers and sitting down.

"Are you not going to eat?" he questioned her when he only noticed one plate.

She shook her head, staring down at the table. "No, I'm not very hungry at the moment."

"What's wrong, Belle?" he asked when he noticed her sad expression.

She opened her mouth to say something, but paused and closed it, thinking.

"Belle, whatever it is, you can tell your father," Maurice said gently, giving her his full attention.

"Papa, I…" she hesitated as she looked up at him, and her father patiently waited. "When Gaston came earlier, he… He gave me a proposal."

"Oh? What kind of proposal?" Maurice raised his eyebrows, and Belle bit her bottom lip.

"He said that, if I were to marry him, he would…" she paused, unsure of how her father was going to react. "He would make sure you had all of the money and supplies you would need to become a famous inventor…"

She waited and watched as her father looked down towards the table for a moment, his mind processing what she had just said.

"Oh," he finally said, his eyebrows rising slightly higher.

She could see a hint of a spark in his eye and it scared her slightly for she knew that if her father thought it a wonderful idea, she knew there was no way she could say no to him. This was his lifelong dream, resting on her shoulders, and she couldn't bear to crush them.

However, that spark left just as quickly as it came, and concern fell over his eyes as he looked at her again.

"But you don't like Gaston, am I right?" he asked her, and she looked down with a frown as she nodded her head gently.

"Oh, Belle," Maurice sighed with a small smile as it finally clicked in his head. "Did you think that I would want you to marry him, just so I could have the money and supplies to become an inventor?"

She nodded her head shamefully, causing him to chuckle gently.

"Belle," he said with a serious tone as he cupped her face in his hands, causing her to look up at him. "Your happiness is more important to me than any invention or dream. If you do not want to marry Gaston, then you don't have to for the sake of your old man."

"But, Papa-"

"Now, now," he stopped her, shaking his head. "I know you don't like being told how to be, but it is not your place to be sacrificing yourself for your father. I've gotten this far without that sort of help, I am sure I can go longer." he smiled gently at her.

"But you could become famous, and you would have everything you need to make the best inventions this world has ever seen!" she objected, for her father's happiness was most important to her.

"Although that does sound wonderful, the way I see it, Belle, you're the best invention I have ever made," he said with a warm smile, and Belle couldn't help the tears that began to well in her eyes. She knew this was why she loved this man so much.

"Oh, Papa! Thank you! I love you so much!"

She immediately darted forward and hugged her father tightly around the neck, which caused him to chuckle as he hugged her back.

"I love you too, Belle. Now, come on," he said, grabbing his plate as he stood up from the table, "Let me show you what your old man has been brewing downstairs."

* * *

Over the next few days, Belle spent much time with her father, as well as spending time with Christophe by the pond.

A few times they had gone into town and thankfully, Belle hadn't seen Gaston since the day he visited her at her home. However, she couldn't forget what he had told her just before he left.

_"This is not over yet, Belle, you will become my wife. I'll make sure of it."_

She shuddered at the thought. What would he do to try to make her say yes? Besides being the future king of this village, everyone loved him, and she was sure they would do anything he asked, which scared her even more.

"Hey, are you even listening?" Christophe said, quickly pulling her from her thoughts.

She looked up from the ground to see Christophe standing with his bow and arrow, staring at her.

"Oh, I'm sorry." she blushed, "What were you saying?"

"I said that I think my aim is getting worse, rather than better," he frowned, and she looked over to the made up target he had pinned to the tree quite a few feet away from them; a few arrows sticking around the target and some into the tree itself.

"Let me see," she said, sitting up more, and Christophe raised his bow and arrow again, aiming for the target.

He pulled the arrow back tightly, his arm slightly shaking, and he let go. She watched as the arrow stuck into the tree just under the target, and he dropped his arms, as well as his shoulders, in defeat.

"I think you're too stiff," Belle tilted her head slightly. "You need to relax your body more."

"Oh? And how would you know?" Christophe asked with a bit of defensiveness in his voice.

"I read it in a book once."

"A book?" he questioned in disbelief and she nodded. "You think a book can tell you how to shoot a target over fifteen feet away?" he asked her with his brow furrowed, and she shrugged. She couldn't see why not.

"Alright. Let's see you do it then, if you think a book can teach you," he held his bow and arrow out to her, and she stared at it for a minute before finally getting up.

"Fine," she said, grabbing the bow and arrow from him, and he stood back to watch her, crossing his arms over his chest.

She felt slightly nervous as she took stance, for she had only shot an arrow just for fun, and never actually to hit a faraway target before. Now, she racked her brain as she tried to remember everything she had read.

She relaxed her body and positioned her arms, then pulled the arrow back tight. She heard Christophe sigh slightly at her slow pace, but she ignored him and focused on the target.

Suddenly, she began to remember what Gaston had said to her, and she imagined his obnoxious smirk staring back at her. She felt her anger slightly rise, but she kept her breathing smooth and calm, and focused. She aimed, took a deep breath and held it, and then let the arrow go.

They both watched as the arrow cut through the air, and when it finally made contact, Christophe came up next to Belle with his mouth hanging open in shock, and she couldn't help but smile proudly at the arrow now stuck nearly close to the center of the target, closer than any of Christophe's arrows had been.

"Well," Belle said, and handed the bow back to Christophe, who couldn't tear his eyes away as Belle walked back over to her spot and sat down in the grass again, still smiling.

They hung out by the pond for the rest of the day as Belle tried to help a somewhat reluctant Christophe with his targeting practice and by the end of the day, he was finally hitting the target closely to the center.

"Well, I guess I should apologize," Christophe said as he retrieved his arrows.

"For what?" Belle asked him with a slight tilt of her head as she waited for him.

"For thinking that you can't learn anything from books," he said, and Belle chuckled as they began to walk toward her house.

"There are a lot of things you can learn from books." she smiled as she wrapped her arms loosely around herself.

"Like what?"

"Like how to shoot a target," she said, glancing sideways at him and he smiled sheepishly.

"What else?" he asked, and she shrugged.

"You can learn loss, love, fear, bravery…the joy and beauty in the little things. You can learn to not judge someone from their appearances, but who they are inside as a person. It's endless." she sighed contently.

"Huh," Christophe said in thought, as he watched the ground move beneath their feet. "I guess I never really thought books could teach you all of that. I thought they were just…words."

"It depends on how you look at them. To most people they are just words, but to me…they are so much more than that. They are thoughts, feelings, a place you can escape to."

"Do you want to escape?" Christophe asked quietly, and she wrapped her arms tighter around herself.

"I don't know." she sighed. "This is my home, but sometimes I just feel like I don't belong here. Everyone thinks I am strange to want an exciting, adventurous life, but has no one ever tried to wonder what life is like beyond this little village?"

"More villages?" Christophe shrugged, and Belle chuckled, followed by another sigh.

"I suppose so," she said dejectedly, for not even she knew what it was she was searching after.

Sure, she could travel the world and see the different sights and people, but she felt like there was something she was destined to do, something she was supposed to change, but what? She couldn't quite put her finger on it.

Finally, they arrived at her house just as the sun set.

"Will you be alright walking home?" she asked as they stood outside her door.

Christophe nodded, "Yes, no one will dare mess with me now that I can shoot better with this." he smiled, holding his bow up.

Belle chuckled, and paused, looking down.

"Christophe?" she finally looked up.

"Hmm?"

"Do you think it…foolish of me to not want to marry Gaston for the sake of my own happiness? Even if I knew it would provide better for Papa and I?" she asked him quietly, and she watched as he looked down in thought for a moment.

"I think it would be more foolish of you to do something that you know wouldn't make you happy," he said, looking up at her, and she smiled gently.

"Thank you, Christophe," she said with relief as she reached out and hugged him tightly.

"Anytime, Belle."

* * *

Christophe finally left Belle's house and began to walk home, taking shortcuts through some of the buildings.

He thought about their talk, and felt sad for her. He could truly see the guilt and the stress on her face when she felt like she couldn't please other people's expectations due to her want to be her own woman, and to be happy. She really wanted to please other people, but she could only do so much without sacrificing her own happiness— Something her pride just wouldn't allow her to do, even if she tried.

Sometimes, he wished other women were like her. She was strong, brave, and independent, but also caring, gentle, and had one of the biggest hearts he had ever seen. She always gave people a chance first, to try to get to know who they were inside before making assumptions. Something that most people didn't do.

He has witness quite a few wives of the village men do the things they asked of them without question, even if they didn't want to or didn't look happy to do so, they would do it anyway. However, Belle was not like that. If she didn't like it, she wouldn't do it. No matter how angry they got, she did what made her happy, and he loved that about her.

He truly hoped that someday she would find that man that she has talked about so many times before, the one who would truly love her for who she was, and not for the sole reason that she was beautiful.

As Christophe continued to walk through one of the alleys, he could see the street up ahead, but just as he was about to come out from between the buildings, he suddenly heard Gaston's voice talking low.

"As you know, I want Belle to be my wife."

At the mention of Belle's name, Christophe suddenly stopped, and carefully peaked around the corner of the building.

There, he could see Gaston, LeFou and D'Arque, the manager of the local madhouse, standing outside of one of the taverns.

"Yes, I'm sure everyone knows," D'Arque said in a rather bored voice. "But I do not see what that has to do with me."

"Well, you see, her father is quite the lunatic. Always trying to invent crazy things that he thinks will help people," Gaston said with a scoff, and LeFou chuckled.

"Beg pardon, monsieur, but Maurice is harmless."

"The point is," Gaston pressed on, ignoring him, "Belle would do anything to protect her father, especially if he were to be locked up."

"Yeah, even if it meant marrying him!" LeFou smiled, and Gaston glared at him, causing him to cower slightly.

"So you want me to throw her father into the asylum unless she agrees to marry you?"

"Exactly." Gaston nodded, his eyes dark. "Even if she says no, I still want you to lock him up, because once she realizes she can't make it on her own as an "independent woman", she will have no choice but to come to me for help. I will then offer to get her father out if she agrees to become my wife."

"And if I don't?" D'Arque questioned with a tilt of his head.

"Oh, I think you will." Gaston smirked, and nodded to LeFou, who held up a large bag jingling with coins.

D'Arque grabbed the bag and opened it, looking inside.

"There is another half that you will get once the job is done," Gaston said, and D'Arque raised his head up with a smirk.

"I think I can arrange for him to be picked up tonight, if you wish."

"The sooner the better."

Christophe's eyes widened in shock, and he quickly pulled his head back, going over everything he had just heard.

Gaston was bribing the manager to put Maurice in the madhouse, just to get Belle to marry him? The madhouse was a scary place! From time to time you could hear people screaming in agony from inside, but no one was ever allowed in there unless they worked there. Who knew what went on inside of there? Maurice would surely be in danger!

_I have to warn them!_ He thought frantically, and quickly turned back down the alley, running as fast as he could to go warn Belle and Maurice. The question was, would he make it to them and get them to safety before they showed up?

He desperately hoped he would.

* * *

Belle laid in her bed with a candle burning brightly next to her as she read her book. She couldn't sleep for some reason, probably because her mind was racing with thoughts lately, and she did the only thing that cleared her mind and put it at ease.

She was nearly finished, only a few more chapters to go, when suddenly the sound of frantic knocking made her nearly leap out of her skin. She quickly sat up and listened intently as her heart nearly hammered in her chest. Who could be knocking at this time of night?

They knocked again, and she thought she could hear someone saying her name, but it was faint and muffled. Was someone in trouble? Did they need help?

She set her book aside and grabbed her candle, getting up off of the bed and entering into the living room silently. She could hear the faint sounds of her father's snores coming from his bedroom, and half-wished he was awake. For all she knew, it could be a trap to get her to open the door.

As she inched closer to the door, fear trickling down her spine, they knocked again.

"Belle! Belle! It's me, Christophe!" she then heard him try to say loudly, yet whisper at the same time. "Open the door, please!"

Relief hit her for a moment as she recognized his voice, and she quickly darted across the room and opened the door to see a worried, out-of-breath Christophe on the other side.

"Christophe? What are you doing? What's wrong?" she whispered worriedly as she let him in and shut the door behind him.

"Belle—I—came—as fast—as I could," he nearly panted each word as she lit another candle to bring more light into the room.

"Why? Are you in trouble? Tell me, Christophe," Belle said anxiously, feeling her worry only grow more.

Christophe shook his head as he took a few deep breaths to calm his breathing.

"Do you need some water? Do you need to sit down?" Belle asked and Christophe shook his head again.

"No…Belle…I—"

Suddenly, another light lit up the room, and they turned to see a tired Maurice entering, holding a candle and a knife out in front of him.

When he saw the two standing in the living room, he lowered the knife.

"What is going on out here?" he asked rather angrily. "Do you realize what time it is?"

"Oh, Papa, I'm sorry." Belle frowned, "Christophe just showed up out of breath. I think he is in trouble."

Christophe shook his head once more, and was now able to talk.

"No, Belle. I'm not in trouble, you are."

* * *

_**:O**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Eeee! Another chapter! Woo! Hehehe.**_

_**Thank you guys So Much for the awesomesauce reviews! They are great motivators, so keep em coming! :P hehe.**_

_**Here is the next chapter, need I remind you of the evil ninja cow typos? e_e ...Moo.**_

_**Okay! Enough rambling from me! I hope you guys like this chapter!**_

_**And as always, enjoy!**_

* * *

"What? What do you mean?" Belle asked worriedly, and Christophe proceeded to tell them everything he had heard in the alley.

Maurice's brow furrowed as Belle put a hand to her mouth in shock.

"No! They couldn't possibly do that! It's— It's not right! We have to tell someone!" she said angrily, and Christophe shook his head.

"Gaston can just about do whatever he wants, and the manager doesn't need a warrant or anything to take someone away if he thinks they are insane."

"Oh, Papa, what are we going to do?" Belle asked him worriedly as her eyes became glossy from the tears that were forming in them. "I can't…I can't marry that monster! But I don't want you locked up in that terrible place either!"

Maurice stared into the face of his worried daughter, trying to figure a way out of this, but all of his options would mean one of them doing something they didn't want to— all except for one, which would mean both of them doing something they didn't want, but it was the best one he had.

"We'll have to leave," Maurice suddenly said, and the two looked at him with surprise. "We'll have to leave the village."

"But where will you go?" Christophe's brow creased. He didn't want them to leave, but he knew it was too risky for them to stay in the village. If they proclaimed that Gaston was bribing D'Arque to have Maurice locked away, the villagers would surely think Maurice insane, and he would be taken away without a doubt. And they all knew Belle would then marry Gaston without a second's thought to keep her father out of the madhouse.

"I'm not sure," Maurice finally shook his head, "But I will not have that man forcing my daughter to do anything she doesn't want to!" he said angrily, and disappeared into the dark as he began to search for something. He then came back into the light holding two large sacks.

"Come on, Belle, gather your things," he said, holding one out to her, but she didn't take it and instead, stared hopelessly at her father with tears in her eyes.

"Belle?" he questioned her worriedly when she didn't move, and instead she bit her lip.

"Perhaps… I should marry him, Papa," she said sadly, and Maurice became surprised.

"What? No! You will do no such thing!"

"Papa—" she began, but he shook his head.

"No, Belle, I meant it when I said that it is not your place to be sacrificing yourself for your old man. I will not have it." he shook his head angrily.

"But what about all of your inventions? We can't carry them all," Belle said desperately, and Maurice clenched his jaw.

"I can leave those here—"

"No, Papa! You have worked so long and hard on them, I couldn't… I couldn't make you leave them just to protect me from marrying an evil man!" she nearly cried, and her father stepped up to her, grabbing her firmly, yet gently on the upper part of her arms.

"Belle, it is not your duty to protect me! I should be the one protecting you, and if that means having to leave everything behind, then so be it! I love you and your unselfish heart, but as your father, I am telling you to go gather your things," he demanded in a stern voice, and Belle didn't know what to say. Her father was always a gentle, calm man, and it surprised her to see him so protective like this.

Finally, she nodded her head and took the sack from him.

"Christophe, did they see you at all when they were talking?" Maurice turned to him, and Christophe shook his head.

"No, I'm sure they didn't."

"Good. We will hide out at your house for the night, and just before dawn we will leave. Keep an eye out while we get ourselves together. Belle, hurry, now," Maurice said as she still hadn't moved, and she finally headed to her room to quickly change and pack her most important things.

She tried not to cry as she quickly changed out of her pajamas, and began to stuff the few clothes she had, among other things like a brush and her books, but her tears were slowly blurring her vision, and she stopped for a moment as she gripped the sheets of her bed in anger and sadness.

Then, she dropped down to her knees in front of her bed and put her head down to try to suppress the urge to cry, but several tears fell into her lap. How could Gaston do something like this? Why her? Why did he want her when he could have any woman in the entire village? It wasn't fair.

When they were younger, Gaston hardly took notice of Belle— in which no way did she mind— probably because she was always hidden behind a book, but it seemed after that day in the food market, when he approached her for the first time to talk about Prince Adam, he developed a great interest in her, and never left her alone from then on.

_Belle walked slowly as she eyed all of the colorful fruits and vegetables; trying to decide what she should make for dinner for her and her father. She had just got done visiting the library, but had only left with one book, rather than the usual stack she carried, for she had to carry the food she was to buy as well._

_She stopped by the potato cart and tried to decide which ones were the best when a small group of girls walked by, giggling and talking excitedly._

_"Oh, Prince Gaston is so handsome!"_

_"Yes, but Prince Adam has _gorgeous_ eyes!"_

_"Prince Gaston is quite the flirt!"_

_"Prince Adam seems more quiet, but he sure is adorable!"_

_Belle watched as the girls walked away, and looked down to see Prince Adam, Prince Gaston and LeFou all slowly walking down the busy aisle, looking at more of the village girls passing by than they did the food. Prince Gaston sure did look like he was trying to flirt with nearly every girl they passed, puffing out his chest and putting on his best smirk, while LeFou tried to do the same, but he seemed to go unnoticed next to the two, tall, very handsome, young princes._

_Her eyes then landed on Prince Adam, and although he was looking at the girls, he hardly seemed to be trying to catch their attention. He merely smiled at them as they passed by, and Belle had to admit that he did look rather adorable._

_Immediately, she began to remember when they had run into each other the other day, and how he had come back to help her. Even though she had heard from the other villagers about his rather growing, spiteful temper, when they stared at each other, she could see kindness deep behind his sky blue eyes, and he had proved it when he came back. However, she was so angry about Prince Gaston shouting at her and stepping all over her books that she did not give Prince Adam the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps he wasn't truly like the vain and discourteous Prince Gaston after all…_

_She finally pushed the thought away and continued to look through the vegetables, wanting to get home quickly so she could start dinner soon and read her book._

_After several minutes, she caught sight of someone approaching her out of the corner of her eye, and looked up to see Gaston heading in her direction, with his eyes set on her. She eyed him suspiciously as he smirked at her. What could he possibly want?_

_"Hello… Belle, is it?" Gaston asked her when he finally approached her._

_"Yes… Can I help you?" she asked slowly, trying to keep the lingering anger caused by him stepping all over her books at bay._

_"I wanted to apologize for my rude behavior the other day. I clearly wasn't thinking. Will a beautiful girl such as yourself accept my apology?" he asked, and she stared at him for a moment as he stood there, giving her his best smirk._

_He was undoubtedly a handsome young man, but Belle couldn't get passed his obviously large ego and self-pride that radiated off of him. She didn't see what was so attractive about being highly conceited._

_After a silent moment however, she finally nodded her head._

_"I accept."_

_"Great. And I also came to apologize for Prince Adam," he said, and Belle looked over to where Prince Adam was standing with LeFou. He smiled gently at her, but she didn't return it as she became curious._

_"Why couldn't he do it?" she asked as she looked back at Gaston, now secretly doubting his kindness. Why couldn't he come and apologize to her himself? Why did he send Gaston to do it for him? That didn't seem sincere enough in her opinion._

_"Because he wanted to ask if he could make up for it, but he is rather shy when it comes to these things," Gaston said, and this only made Belle more curious._

_"What do you mean?"_

_"He… He would like to apologize in a very sincere way…" he said slowly, a smirk playing on his lips. Belle still didn't quite understand as she continued to stare at Gaston, her eyebrows pulled low in question._

_"He would like to… _Show_ you his apology. _Alone_," Gaston said, raising his eyebrows as he emphasized his words._

_Finally, it clicked, and Belle became shocked as well as angry._

_"I beg your pardon?" she said heatedly as her cheeks flushed. "I will do no such thing! How dare he—! We're only sixteen years of age! That isn't something—! We are too young!" Belle stammered with a shake of her head, completely stunned that he would think of such an indecent way to apologize._

_"That is the most foul and ill-mannered way to apologize to a girl!"_

_"I know. I tried to tell him that a beautiful girl such as yourself would not be interested in that sort of thing, but he insisted I come over here and ask." Gaston shrugged, and this only further shocked and angered Belle. What kind of person did he think she was? She had more respect for herself than that!_

_"So, is that a no?" Gaston asked, waiting for her answer._

_"I'd rather be locked away for an eternity than to receive an apology such as that!"_

_Then, she turned on her heel and stormed away, not wanting to even look at someone who would consider that of her._

_After that day, she hadn't seen Prince Adam once in the village, nor did she want to. She did however, see Prince Gaston, and anytime he saw her after that, he tried to talk with her._

_"Listen, Belle. I know Prince Adam angered you with his… Informal way of apology, but would you allow me to make it up to you for him in a more sensible way? I could treat you to dinner, or we could take a walk down to the river?" Gaston suggested with a smirk as he leaned against the wall next to her._

_"Uhm, thank you, but no thank you, Gaston. I'm just going to go home and read," she said with a small smile._

_"Are you sure? I mean, I could show you how a _real man_ treats a beautiful girl such as yourself." He smiled widely, flashing her his near perfect teeth._

_"That's sweet of you, but I'm sorry, I have to get home." she insisted, and he frowned rather heavily._

_"Suit yourself, but I'll have you know, Belle, I don't give up that easily. Especially when it comes to a very beautiful girl. I'll get you to say yes sooner or later," he said with a sly smile, and she gave him a curious look._

_"And what makes you think I will?"_

_"They always do in the end."_

_And from then on, Gaston continued to ask her time and time again, eventually working his way up to proposals as they got older. She never understood why he wanted to court her so badly after that day, but not once did she say yes to any of his marriage proposals, for his ego and pride always pushed her away._

Back then, it seemed so simple, and she would have thought that he would have let it go when she turned him down numerous times. She never thought that such a day would come when he would threaten her and her father over it.

Her poor father. Why should he have to suffer just because she didn't want to marry Gaston? Why did he have to put her father in the middle of it?

She was extremely grateful that her father would go to such a great length to protect her and her happiness, but was this selfish of her to let him? If she just said yes to Gaston, then her father wouldn't be threatened with getting locked away, and Gaston would provide him with anything and everything he needed to become a great inventor. They would still be able to live in the village, and they wouldn't have to worry about scraping by just to live comfortably… But could she really submit herself to that?

"Belle," Christophe suddenly said from the doorway of her bedroom, pulling her from her thoughts, and she looked up at him sadly, her tears streaming down her face. He stared at her painfully, his face full of grief. Would tonight be the last time she would ever see his face again?

Then, she quickly got up and ran to Christophe, practically throwing herself at him as she hugged him tightly around the neck. He hugged her back just as tight, and she began to cry. She didn't want to, not ever, but she knew she was eventually going to have to say goodbye to Christophe.

"I don't want to leave," she cried into his shoulder.

"I know. I don't want you to leave either," he said gently as he rubbed her back.

Then, she pulled back and roughly wiped the tears from her face, "I could just s-say yes, Christophe. I could just say yes, and e-everything would be fine. We wouldn't have to l-leave and P-Papa could… H-He could…" she couldn't finish as she looked down painfully and another sob took over.

"No," Christophe shook his head. "You couldn't marry that man. You would be so miserable, Belle… It's not worth it."

"B-But—" she tried as she looked up, but he shook his head and pulled her back into another hug as he shushed her.

"Look at you, you're not even married to him and he makes you cry harder than I have ever seen. You cannot marry him. It is not worth it."

"Belle!" They heard Maurice call, and Christophe pulled back once more, cupping her face.

"You're strong Belle, the strongest girl I have ever known, and you will get through this, okay?" he asked, and she nodded her head, followed with more sniffling.

"And maybe someday, when you find that man that makes you smile brighter than the sun, you can come back to visit. And you will know just where to find me," he said sincerely, which only brought on more tears to her eyes, and she tried to blink them back.

"Thank you," she whispered, and he gave her a small, warm smile.

Finally, he let go of her face,

"We have to go now. Come on," he said, and Belle finally turned and grabbed her sack. He held his hand out for her to take, and she clutched on tightly.

"Did you get everything you need?" Maurice asked when they stepped back into the living room, and she nodded, unable to speak at the moment.

"Alright, let's—"

Suddenly, they heard the trotting of horses and the wooden wheels of a carriage in the distance and they froze. They were nearly here.

"What do we do?" Belle whispered worriedly as Maurice quickly blew out the candles, leaving them in the dark.

"Let's sneak out the back. We'll have to hitch Philippe up quickly," Maurice said, and they hurriedly headed out the back door into the cool night air, quietly making their way to the small stable where Philippe was kept. They could hear them getting closer, but if they hurried, they could possibly escape unnoticed.

"Wait, how will we all fit?" Belle asked as Maurice and Christophe strapped Philippe up. Three grown people couldn't ride on one horse with sacks strapped onto him…

"I'll catch up to you guys," Christophe said with a nod as Maurice climbed up onto Philippe.

"But what if they see you? They would surely know you had something to do with our disappearance," Belle said worriedly. She didn't want anyone else to get involved in this, especially someone she loved just as much as her father.

"Belle, come on, we don't have time." Maurice warned, waiting for her to get up.

"I'll be fine, Belle, I promise. I'm a quick runner," Christophe smiled assuredly, and then bent down and held his hands out together to help Belle up.

She reluctantly, but quickly put her foot in his hands, and together they hoisted her up onto Philippe.

"Thank you, Christophe." Maurice nodded to him, and Christophe nodded in return as he stepped back from them. "Don't do anything that would put you in danger."

"I won't. I'm going to take the other way around by the river and cut through the town that way. Now you guys better get going," Christophe said as the sound of the carriage wheels got louder.

"I love you, Christophe," Belle said with a frown as she wrapped her arms around her father.

"I love you too, Belle. Be safe, and I'll see you at home." He smiled, and quickly turned and ran into the dark in the other direction.

Maurice urged Philippe forward, trying to be as quiet and quick as possible. They came around to the side of the house and he stopped Philippe to peek over.

They were a lot closer than they had thought, and there were four of them. However, Gaston was not among them, and Belle was glad. She wasn't sure what she would do if she saw him.

Maurice quickly urged Philippe forward, and they stayed hidden in the shadows as they moved along. All they had to do was weave through the outside of the small patch of forest to the other side behind the town, and get to Christophe's house where he would hopefully be waiting for them.

So far they were doing good, and none of the men or D'Arque, who was directing the carriage himself, had noticed them. Philippe silently trotted along the trees; Maurice slowing them down every now and then when there was a gap in the trees that could expose them.

Belle and Maurice watched as they finally made it to the front of the house, and D'Arque got off of the carriage and walked up to the front door with the three men behind him. He raised his hand and knocked, and they all stood outside and waited with their backs turned to them. Relief was slowly coming over them as they continued on unnoticed.

Suddenly, Philippe stopped and began to whinny, causing panic in Maurice and Belle, who looked down to see a mother fox and her babies in front of them.

"Whoa, whoa. Shh." Maurice tried to quietly hush the horse, but he began to toss his head and back up as the mother fox growled, pushing toward them. He started to stomp his feet and his whinnying became louder.

"Shh! Philippe!" Maurice tried to direct him away, but the mother fox persisted, growling at them as she blocked their way.

Then, she darted forward and tried to bite at Philippe's feet, yipping loudly. Philippe let out a cry as he raised up on his hind legs and suddenly, all of the men turned towards the trees.

"Hey! I think that's them!" one of the men yelled, holding up one of the lanterns they had, causing panic in Maurice and Belle.

"Papa!" Belle said worriedly, her body tensing.

"Philippe! Go!" Maurice said, and quickly urged Philippe into a run, getting away from the mother fox and the men, who were all running back towards their horses.

Maurice had intended to keep them just near the outside of the forest where hardly any of the wild animals ventured, but now he had no choice and took them straight into it.

They could hear the men's horses galloping after them, and Maurice pushed Philippe to run faster, hoping the horse could see better in the dark than they could.

Belle held on tightly and tried to see into the dark ahead of them as Philippe weaved through the trees. Her heart was hammering in her chest as she heard the men's calls behind them. Would they catch up to them? What would happen if they did? Fear ran through her as these thoughts forced themselves into her head.

As they continued to race, getting further into the dark, cold forest, Belle realized she could no longer hear the other men, and looked behind her to see if she could see their lanterns. However, all she saw was darkness all around.

"Papa! Papa! I think they stopped chasing us," Belle said, and her father slowed them down to a quick trot.

"Any idea where they went?" he asked, looking back behind them as well, and Belle shook her head.

"No. Do you think they would go back into town?"

"Possibly, but I imagine they would take the main road straight through town though to try to catch us at path that leads to the next town. I think we can still beat them if we get out of the forest and get to Christophe's house from behind the village."

"Okay." Belle nodded as Maurice got Philippe into a gallop, trying to head back to the outer side of the forest again. It was dark all around them, and Belle tried not to let the feeling of someone watching them get to her.

Finally, they could see some of the buildings of the village again, and Maurice slowed down to look out for the men, but didn't see any of them yet, and Belle felt herself relax slightly. It seemed like they were going to make it to Christophe's before the men even reached the other side of the town where his house was located.

However, none of them noticed the wolf that had been stalking after them in the shadows, and suddenly, he jumped out towards Philippe with a growl, causing the horse, and Belle, to cry out as he rose up and kicked his feet at the wolf.

Then, Philippe darted straight toward the town.

"Whoa! Whoa!" Maurice tried to stop the scared horse, but the wolf chased after them through the forest, and didn't stop until they reached the very edge, causing Philippe to run them straight onto the town roads.

They came out onto the main road before Maurice finally got control of the horse, and suddenly, they heard yells of the men again, just entering through the right.

"There they are!" They called out, and Maurice turned Philippe to run the other way, urging him to go as fast as he could.

Belle held on tightly and looked back to see the men slowly gaining on them, a sinking feeling entering her. They were getting too close to them.

"Papa! We can't go to Christophe's! They are too close to us!" she warned, and Maurice had to think quickly. They were going to have to skip Christophe's and ride out into the forest again in hopes of ever losing them, but where would they go? The forest was dangerous and hard to see at night, but now he feared they had no choice.

He kept Philippe going forward for a while, before he finally turned the horse to the left, going down a path that wasn't traveled as much, and before they knew it, they were back into the dark forest again. The men continued to chase them, and Belle could see the village, her home, beginning to disappear behind the trees. Worry and sadness filled her, for Christophe would probably think something terrible happened to them, and she didn't even get to say a proper goodbye…

As they raced along, the cold air blowing passed them, Belle finally realized which direction they were going as they passed through the opening of the large, wooden wall that was built nearly ten years ago; plants growing up the side of the aged wood. She looked up and notice the empty watch towers, never having been used in almost five years.

She hadn't seen the wall in so long, because after they had built it, the town slowly started to spread out in the other direction away from it. No one went in that direction as the Queen had forbid them, and when the so-called monstrous creature that attacked the castle, and killed their former prince, didn't show himself after nearly five years, they stopped posting guards at the watch towers. However, the villagers still kept quite a distance away from it for fear of ever seeing The Beast again.

The clear path that was once here so long ago, was now being overtaken by vegetation, but it was still clear enough to follow, and they continued along it, unsure of anything that was lying ahead.

* * *

"Whoa! Whoa!" D'Arque slowed the horses pulling the carriage down, and the men followed suit.

"Why are we stopping? Are we just going to let them go?" one of the men questioned.

"I'm not going through there," the second spoke up with slight fear in his voice, and the third man agreed.

"Why not? We can't just let them go…?" the first one asked with uncertainty.

"Under the strict orders of the Queen are we not allowed to venture that far beyond the wall," D'Arque said in a stern voice.

"What do we tell Prince Gaston then when he learns that we don't have them?" he asked worriedly, and the other men looked to D'Arque.

"He is not to return for a few days as he just left on business affairs. Hopefully by that time they will have returned. Until then, we will just have to keep a lookout. Let's go," D'Arque said, and they all turned around to head back into the town.

* * *

Belle looked back once more with a pounding heart, but it calmed slightly as she noticed the men beginning to slow down just as they reached the wall, yelling and waving after them.

"Papa! Papa, they stopped chasing us!" Belle said with relief as the men got further and further away.

"And with good reason," her father said behind him, and Belle became slightly worried again.

"Why? What do you mean?" she asked quietly.

Finally, he slowed them down only to a quick trot, not wanting to stop for any reason.

"Belle, this path hasn't been traveled in years, who knows what wild animals have made it their home now. It is not safe at night, so we can't stop. If my mind serves me right, the old path splits off towards the next town over, so keep your eyes out for it," he said and Belle nodded, keeping an eye out for any sign.

Now, she began to wonder about the old castle, and the monstrous beast that supposedly took over. Would it still be there after ten years? It was possible, but why would a beast take over a castle, and never show itself? Did The Beast really exist?

She had never really thought about this before, but now that she did, it all seemed curious to her. Why wouldn't the Queen send a group of men up there to take care of the monster? Was it really that vicious, that a whole group of men couldn't slay it?

Her already curious mind now buzzed with these worrying questions as they continued along the dark path, and she pulled her cloak tighter around her body to protect it from the chilly air as her quick breath came out in light fog.

Finally, in the distance, Belle could see an old, wooden sign up ahead.

"Papa, there! There's a sign!" she whispered, pointing ahead, and Maurice directed Philippe over to it.

The somewhat clear path now broke off into two ways, and they squinted in the dark to try to read the sign, but time had worn on the letters, making it difficult to make out.

"Which way do we go?" Belle asked, looking down both ways. Each path seemed rather eerie.

"I don't… I don't remember which way the town is from here." Maurice admitted with slight frustration.

Suddenly, they heard the sound of a twig snap, and they quickly looked around them in the darkness; fear trailing down Belle's spine.

"Papa, which way should we go?" Belle asked worriedly in an anxious whisper as she looked all around her, but all she could see were the dark trees.

Suddenly, Philippe's ears began to twitch and he started to act up again, only making Belle's worry and fear grow. Something was watching them, she was sure of it.

"Uhm, let's go…let's go this way," Maurice said, beginning to turn Philippe to head down to the right, but out of the darkness they heard a long, chilling howl, and goose bumps erupted all over Belle's skin as her heart began to beat quickly in her chest again.

Maurice tried to push Philippe forward, but he started to become reluctant.

"Come on, Philippe." Maurice tried, and Philippe began to trot forward.

Suddenly, they heard low growls, and Belle looked up to see three wolves in the path ahead of them. She felt a wave of fear tingle over her skin as they stared at them, and she gasped as they began to charge. Philippe let out a cry as the wolves ran toward them, and he turned the other way to run.

"Papa!" Belle called out fearfully into the cold night air as they started to race down; the wolves slowly gaining on them.

Then, another wolf jumped out in front of them with a loud growl, and Philippe rose up, kicking his feet as the wolf tried to snap at him.

"Whoa!" Maurice tried to get control, but the three wolves came right up behind them, and Philippe began to kick his back feet, jerking Maurice and Belle on top of him.

One of the wolves jumped up towards Belle, and she screamed as she kicked her foot out, managing to actually hit the wolf's muzzle. It clumsily fell, sneezing and snorting for a moment before finally regaining itself and growling at them again.

Philippe turned and turned, trying to keep the wolves that were encircling them in his sights, stomping his feet.

Then, one of them jumped again and Philippe quickly rose up with a cry. Belle felt her grip loosen, and with a squeak, she fell off of the horse and to the cold, hard ground.

"BELLE!" Maurice yelled out and quickly got off of Philippe, rushing to his daughter.

Two of the wolves jumped at Philippe again, who dodged them, and suddenly found an opening and took off, leaving Maurice and Belle as the wolves chased after him.

"Philippe! No!" Belle cried out as the horse galloped away.

"Come on, Belle!" Maurice said, quickly pulling her up to her feet. They began to run in the other direction away from the wolves, but one of them spotted the two running away, and began to chase after them.

Suddenly, Maurice was jerked back as the wolf took a mouthful of his cloak, bringing him down to the ground. Belle skidded to a halt, quickly turning around.

"PAPA!" she screamed as the wolf tore at his cloak, jerking him.

"Go, Belle! RUN!" Maurice yelled, but there was no way she was going to leave her father to die. She quickly began searching for anything to help her, when her father suddenly yelled out in pain, and she looked up to see the wolf's jaws latched onto his forearm, shaking his head forcefully and tearing Maurice's skin.

Her heart hammered in her chest as she quickly looked around for some sort of help, and finally, she spotted a tree branch and picked it up without a second's thought. She then ran over to her father who was trying to get the wolf to let go of his arm, and just as she approached them, the wolf let go and growled at her, ready to attack. She immediately swung the branch, hitting the wolf in the face, and all of the smaller branches and twigs smashed and splintered off into the wolf's face.

The wolf yelped and pawed at its face in pain, and Belle quickly helped her father up while it was distracted. His arm was now bleeding very badly, but the rest of him seemed alright enough to run. They heard a wolf's howl break through the air again as they took off running down the path to the right. They ran as fast as their feet could carry them, but they could hear the growls getting louder behind them.

They wove around trees and ran through the brush until suddenly, Belle spotted a large gate. It was the old castle.  
Without thinking, she pulled her father towards the gates, and as soon as she reached them, she began to pull, but the gate wouldn't budge. She could hear the wolf's growls getting louder, and she tugged and tugged until finally, the gate slid open just enough for them to get through.

Her father fell forward into the old castle's yard as Belle turned and pulled the gate as hard as she could, trying to close it before the wolves came, but the bottom was dragging on the dirt and rocks, making it difficult.

Then, she saw the wolves charging full speed, and with one last defying jerk, she finally pulled the gate completely closed.

She fell back with a gasp as the wolves jumped at the gate, slamming into it and snapping at them through the bars.

However, it seemed as if the wolves finally realized where they were, and they stopped trying to get through the gate and stared at Maurice and Belle for a moment, before finally turning and running away.

Belle curiously watched them leave, and looked back up towards the castle, finally seeing it for the first time.

It was enormous, dark and scary as it loomed over them. There were no lights on inside, and the grounds looked just as eerie as the plants had overgrown it— now slowly dying due to winter approaching— and growing up the sides of the castle walls.

Suddenly, thunder and lightning struck the night sky, illuminating the castle for a moment, which only caused it to look even more unnerving and sinister, as a light drizzle began to fall. She couldn't tear her eyes away from the castle until her father made a slight groaning, and she looked down to see him putting pressure on his bleeding arm.

"Oh, Papa." She frowned heavily, tears beginning to well in her eyes. The cut look considerably deep, and it was possible he was going to need stitches.

"Come on, let's get inside," she said, beginning to help him up. She looked back in hopes of seeing Philippe, but he was nowhere in sight, and she feared that the wolves had gotten him.

They slowly approached the large castle, but just before she opened the door, her father stopped them.

"Belle, I don't know…" he warned, looking up at the castle himself, blinking in the light drizzle.

"Papa, we have to. We'll get sick from the cold rain and we can't go back out there in the dark, it's too dangerous. Plus, we need to take care of your arm," she said worriedly, for she did not want to enter the castle either, but what choice did they have?

His eyes roamed over the castle again as a look of contemplation crossed his face and finally, he nodded his head.

She took a deep breath and then pushed the large castle door open. It made a deep groaning as she opened it just enough for them to get through. They stepped in and she pushed the door shut, trying to be as quiet as she could, but the groaning made a slight echo.

It was just as grand inside, though the darkness still made it chilling. It was slightly warmer, but she pulled her cloak tighter around her to keep her body heat in.

They stood silent and still for a moment, listening and looking out for any sign of life or a monster, but it was just as silent as still as they were.

She wished they had something to light the room with, but the lightning from outside gave just enough quick light for her to see a main room off to the left.

"Come on," she whispered, and they quietly walked into the main room.

She led her father over to one of the chairs and he sat down, wincing slightly as he held tightly onto his arm. She kneeled down on the floor in front of him.

"Here, get my knife and cut a long piece of my cloak." He whispered to her as he leaned over to the side so she could get the knife out.

She pulled it out and found an already torn part of his cloak at the bottom and cut a long strip off.

"Shouldn't we clean it first?" she asked as she set the knife down, but he gave her a worried look.

"I don't know, Belle, I don't think we should be walking around the castle, let alone be in here," he whispered with the shake of his head.

"But it'll get infected, Papa. I can't…" she shook her head, trying to find the words, "I have to do something, because I'm scared," she said, looking up at him worriedly.

He stared at her for a moment, realizing that his daughter, who truly was a brave woman, was indeed scared for him, and for their situation. He sighed gently and nodded his head.

"I understand, Belle, but we'll go together, okay? I am not leaving you alone in this castle," he said sternly, and she nodded.

"At least tie this off first just to stop the bleeding." He held his arm out, and she nodded again as she held the strip of cloth out, and carefully began to wrap it tightly over his wound. He winced slightly as she wrapped it, but finally relaxed when she was done.

"Okay, let's go," he said, and she helped him stand up.

Now that she wasn't running for her life, she suddenly realized just how sore her body felt, and her shoulder slightly hurt as well, probably from when she fell off of Philippe, but she knew her injuries were minor compared to her father's arm.

As she stared down at her father's arm, she felt terrible, but immensely grateful at the same time, for he had put his life at risk to save her.

"Papa, I…" she trailed off quietly, and he looked at her as they walked closely together. "Thank you, for saving me."

He smiled gently at her, "Of course, Belle. You are my life, and if I lost you… I don't know what I would do." He shook his head with frown at the thought.

"I don't know what I would do either." Belle shook her head.

"Probably be an ordinary, village girl," he said, and Belle looked up to see him playfully smirking, and she couldn't help but smile as well. He could always make her smile, no matter what situation they were in.

They looked forward as they quietly walked through the entrance hall, looking around at all of the dark décor displayed around the castle. Although the statues and paintings were beautiful, the darkness and the story behind this old castle is what made it rather spooky.

However, something struck Belle odd as they came to the end of the hall. This castle was ten years old, and a supposed beast lived here alone… So, why was the castle free of dust? Surely, a monstrous beast wouldn't be worried of cleaning the castle…

Finally, they came to a door, pulling Belle from her thoughts as her father reached out and slightly pushed her behind him, withdrawing his knife and holding it firmly in his good hand, and he slowly reached out to push the door open.

Suddenly, just as her father put his hand to the door, there was the sound of slight shuffling that seemed to come from the other side of the door. They immediately froze and listened in.

Then, Belle's adrenaline shot up as they thought they heard muffled, quiet voices, but the thunder outside suddenly cracked, and Belle couldn't tell if it was just her mind playing tricks with the weather, or if she had indeed heard muffled voices coming from the other side of the door.

Her father looked back at her, and she took a deep breath and nodded her head. He faced forward and readjusted his hold on the knife, preparing himself.

Then, he opened the door.

* * *

_**I know just how much you guys love these cliffhangers. :P mwuahaha!**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Hey guys! Sorry for the delay!**_

_**Again, thank you for the awesome reviews! Here is another chapter for you awesome people. :D**_

_**Excuse any typos or errors, and as always, enjoy!**_

* * *

"What do we do?" Cogsworth whispered worriedly to Lumiere in the kitchen.

"I don't know! You're the one who is usually more prepared for these types of things!" he whispered back.

"Yes, but no one has come up to the castle in over ten years! What if Master finds out?" he asked, his clock face becoming worried as different scenarios ran through his head.

Over the years, his temper had grown quite extreme because of the curse, and they were unsure of what would happen if the master found out two humans had entered the castle.

Luckily, he was in the West Wing, which was farthest from the kitchens, where he usually spent most of his time alone. Perhaps the humans could leave before he found them?

"Excuse me, but—" Mrs. Potts began, but Lumiere cut her off.

"I don't know! What do you think we should do?"

"We'll have to try to scare them away," Cogsworth said in thought, "Or…lure them out and away from the castle! We have to do something!" he whispered desperately.

"Have either of you notice—"

"Or maybe we don't have to!" Lumiere said with a smile, his flames burning brightly as Mrs. Potts made a face for being cut off again.

"Turn those down!" Cogsworth demanded in a whisper, and Lumiere's flames dimmed down into a gentle glow. "And what do you mean?" he gave him a puzzled look.

"Perhaps Master won't be so mad to have company? Perhaps we could talk him into letting them stay?" he smiled, and as Cogsworth stared at him for a moment, he shook his head vigorously.

"No, no, no, no, no! We cannot—"

"Will you two pipe down and listen?" Mrs. Potts suddenly interrupted him sternly, and the two became quiet as they looked into the glossy face of the womanly teapot.

"Have either of you two noticed that one of them is a girl?" she asked them, and they stared at her blankly.

"And?" Cogsworth finally asked, not quite understanding what she was getting at.

She rolled her eyes and sighed, "She's a _girl_!"

Again, they stared at her clueless. She would have thought Lumiere of all people would understand.

"The curse! Master has to fall in love and be loved in return for the curse to be broken! There is a girl in the castle! Perhaps—"

"Absolutely not!" Cogsworth interrupted her with his metal-like hand out, and she frowned. "I'm sorry, but his temper is out of control! You know that! He is going to be so angry about the fact that two people have even entered the castle in the first place, girl or not!"

"No, Cogsworth, she is right!" Lumiere suddenly jumped in with excitement as he finally understood what Mrs. Potts was trying to point out. "She's the girl we have been waiting for! She could break the spell!"

Suddenly, he began to head off of the counter towards the door with excitement.

"Wait a minute! Wait a minute!" Cogsworth began to chase after him when suddenly, the door across the kitchen began to creak open.

They immediately became still and watched as the door fully opened.

* * *

Belle had full-heartedly expected to see someone on the other side of the door, but when they peered into the empty kitchen, she frowned with confusion. She was sure she had heard voices and movement.

She was so curious to know if a beast actually lived here, but at the same time she figured that if they were to find out, it would most likely be at their demise.

Maurice slightly relaxed his arm, but still held the knife firmly as they entered the kitchen. The bleeding from the cuts on his forearm still hadn't stopped, but thankfully slowed down slightly.

"Here, sit down," Belle said, directing her father over to a stool. She then began to look around for some sort of bucket or pot that she could fill with water.

She started to check the cabinets, careful not to make too much noise and again, her curiosity sparked when she did not see a single speck of dust on any of the plates or in the cabinets. She didn't want to alarm her father, for she knew that if she told him, he would make them leave in fear of someone actually being here, but would it be foolish to stay and find out? Sometimes she felt that her extreme curiosity was a curse to her.

She finally found a pot in one of the lower cabinets, and turned towards her father. "I'll be right back, Papa. I'm going to go outside and get some water to heat up."

"Be careful and be quick, Belle." Maurice warned in a whisper, and she nodded her head before turning and heading towards the door she was sure led to the outside.

Luckily, the rain had slowed into a very light drizzle, but in this moment she didn't care if she got wet, she was more concerned for her father. She spotted a well close by and quickly filled the pot she had brought outside with her, keeping her eye out for any sign of wolf or monster.

She hurried back inside and set the pot on the stove, then realized she had nothing to light the stove with.

"How am I going to heat this up?" she asked in a whisper.

"Look in the drawers, there should be flint or something." her father suggested, and she began to go through the drawers, squinting in the dark.

Finally, she found a tinderbox in one of the drawers, and was about to turn to go find some dry firewood when she stopped and decided to look into the stove for humor's sake.

Just as she had suspected, there was already firewood sitting in there, but she tried not to let her mind run, and convinced herself that it was simply left there long ago.

She lit the firewood with ease and waited for the water to boil. Her and her father sat there quietly, simply looking around the large kitchen and listening out for any sign of life in the castle.

Once the water was done, she extinguished the fire, and then took the pot off of the stove to let it cool. She looked around for a clean rag, and found some in a drawer.

"Let me see," she said to her father, holding her hands out.

He gave her his arm, and she carefully unwrapped the already blood-soaked cloth. Then, she began to clean his wounds with the clean water, trying to make it as painless as possible, but the wounds were deep.

"Papa, we might have to go back into town and get this take care of," Belle said with worry as she examined them.

"We can't go back into town, Belle. I'm sure they will be looking for us." Maurice shook his head, and then winced as she applied pressure onto his arm, trying to stop the bleeding.

"But the next town is too far from here, Papa. This could easily get infected—"

"I'll be fine, Belle. I'm quite the healthy man, I'm sure it will be fine until we reach the next town, alright?" He reassured her, also ending the conversation, but she was filled with doubt. The wolves that attacked them looked rather dirty, and she was sure their teeth and claws weren't any cleaner either.

After she cleaned his wounds as best as she could, she found another longer, clean piece of cloth, and wrapped his arm carefully and tightly.

"There, that should hold for now," she said quietly, and he sat back, admiring her work.

"Thank you, Sweetheart." He smiled at her, and they stared at each other for a moment, until Belle finally looked away with a slight frown on her lips, wondering what was going to happen to them next. Would they make it to the next town safely? Would Gaston send his men over to look for them? Perhaps they should run further than the next town…

"Come on, let's go back to the main room and get some sleep. We need to leave bright and early," her father finally said when he noticed her expression, and stood up. He grabbed his knife and headed for the door with Belle following behind him.

Maurice felt terrible that he made them leave everything behind and run like this, but his daughter's happiness was most important to him. If she didn't want to marry Gaston, then he was going to do what he could to prevent that. There was no way he could ever let a man threaten or trick his daughter into marrying him, royalty or not.

Just as they were exiting the kitchen, Belle thought she had heard a noise and quickly looked back. She stared at the candelabra that was sitting on the counter for a moment, wondering why a fancy candelabra and a clock were in the kitchen in the first place. And wasn't the candelabra facing the other way when they first came in? She could have sworn—

"Belle," Maurice whispered when he realized Belle wasn't following, and she had no choice but to leave the kitchen and join her father.

They quietly headed back to the main room, and Maurice gathered the pillow cushions and throw covers from the other chairs, handing some of them to Belle.

"You take the long couch and I'll take the floor," he said, preparing a spot on the floor next to the couch.

"You should take the couch, Papa. Your back is…Well, it's not as good as mine," Belle offered, and Maurice considered it for a moment, before shaking his head.

"No, I couldn't do that."

"Please, Papa. It's the least I can do after everything you have already done for me." Belle insisted, and finally, Maurice shrugged.

"Well, alright. If you insist," he said with a gentle smile, and Belle began to prepare her spot next to the couch while Maurice climbed onto it.

Once they were all settled in and laying in dark silence, Belle found herself unable to rest her racing mind. She was too wound up over the life changing events that had just taken place to be able to fall asleep easily, and she was sure her father felt the same, for he wasn't snoring like he always did when he fell asleep.

"Papa," she finally broke the silence with a whisper.

"Hmm?"

"Do you think Philippe is okay?" she asked, staring up at the large ceiling.

"I'm sure he is fine. He is a strong horse," Maurice said confidently as he stared up at the ceiling as well.

"I hope so," Belle sighed with a slight frown. She loved Philippe, and she knew that the wolves had chased after him, but she didn't want to believe that anything terrible had happened to him. She knew that if she found out the truth she would be devastated, and she would rather love the lie that he was alright, than have the ruthless truth that he was gone forever.

It was silent for another moment, but Belle's mind was making the silence far too heavy on her.

"Papa," she whispered again, feeling bad that she wasn't allowing him to sleep, but she couldn't help herself.

"Hmm?"

"Do you think we'll be okay?"

It was silent again, and Belle figured that her father was thinking it over. However, she already knew that he would tell her everything would be alright, but sometimes it was just better to hear it.

"Yes, Belle. We will be, and you know why?" he asked, and she could hear him shifting on the couch.

She looked over and could see him facing her in the dark moonlight, "Why?"

"Because you're a strong and brave woman, and you don't let anything stop you," he said gently with a smile in his tone. "And you make me feel strong and brave, and together, you and I will get through this. We'll be alright."

They stared at each other for a moment, before Belle finally smiled gently and nodded her head, "Thanks, Papa."

"Now, get some sleep. We've got a long day of traveling tomorrow before sundown," he said, returning to his back. "I love you, Belle."

"I love you too, Papa," Belle said, and instead of returning her gaze towards the ceiling, she curled up and stared out of one of the large windows, and watched the stars burning brightly in the sky.

Her mind drifted off into thoughts about what the next town would be like. Would the people be the same? Would there be busy bakers rushing to get the bread out to the waiting customers? Would there be little town boys, running around and chasing after one another? Would there be a caring bookseller, waiting to greet Belle with the newest shipment of books? Would there be another Christophe?

No. No one could ever replace Christophe. He was a gentle and sweet young man, even though he always tried to prove his bravery and masculinity to others, but Belle knew deep down who he was.

Oh, how she was going to miss him. She hoped he was okay, and that he didn't go out searching for them. Knowing him, he would try to do something like that, but perhaps he would just lay low, and avoid trouble with Gaston and his men.

As she thought about him, she made a plan to send him a letter as soon as possible. She knew she wouldn't be able to tell him her whereabouts just in case the letter got into the wrong hands, but something to let him know that she was okay. He must be worried sick about them for not showing up at his home, but they had no choice but to leave. They couldn't risk getting him into trouble for their sake when he was the one who saved them in the first place, and Belle would be forever grateful to him for that.

As she laid there, she wished she had a book to read to distract herself, but Philippe had taken off with all of their belongings, leaving them with nothing but the clothes on their backs. She finally decided to close her eyes to try to sleep, knowing that they did have a long day ahead of them.

* * *

Beast sat on his father's bed, staring at the beautiful rose the Enchantress had given him so long ago. Had ten years already passed by him? It was hard to believe and yet, here he sat as he usually did, staring at this rose that was ever so slowly blossoming.

When the Enchantress first gave him the rose, its pedals were tightly closed, but as the years passed, they slowly opened, and he knew that soon the pedals would start to fall, counting down his days.

Lately, he couldn't find himself to sleep, and he knew it was because of this rose; the rose that held his destiny. Why did he care though? Why did he bother himself to constantly watch this rose? To protect it? He knew he wasn't going to change. He was going to remain a beast forever, but still, he couldn't extinguish the small hope that somehow he would change back.

He hated the fact that he had this small hope. He hated that she had given him this chance to change. Why couldn't she have just changed him for good? It was cruel of her to do this. It was cruel of her to give him this small hope and for this long. He knew this was his punishment for being mean and selfish, but why did she have to do it this way? He would have rather been permanently changed into a beast forever so he could learn to fully accept it, rather than having this rose to blatantly remind him that there was a chance he could change back into the man he once was so long ago. It was just cruel, and it constantly kept him angry.

Where had he gone wrong?

He knew where, and why. It was all because of Gaston. All because of him, constantly coaxing in his ear for all of those years. Telling him he was better than everyone, telling him he was too nice… Telling him he was a pushover.

Why did he ever listen to him? How did Gaston do it? How did he get him to change? He used to enjoy life. He used to love going and seeing the villagers, and it made him feel good that they approached him for answers and matters that made him feel important.

But Gaston had changed all of that in him.

He managed to make him believe that they were using him, that they didn't really care about him, and that all they thought about were themselves when really, Gaston was making him selfish.

Could he really blame Gaston though? Sure, he did twist his thoughts, but he could've been stronger. He could have fought back, and not believed anything Gaston said, and that was his own fault. He really was weak, just like Gaston had always said.

He sighed with a low growl and looked away from the rose as he began to remember the first time he had ever lashed out at the villagers. It was so long ago, but still so fresh in his mind.

_Prince Adam and Gaston entered into the village, immediately greeted by LeFou._

_"Hey guys!" he said excitedly, and right away he began to follow them as they walked._

_Prince Adam never really minded LeFou, he was a nice kid, but his constant need for approval and to please Gaston was rather bothersome and annoying. How could someone constantly want to please someone who was rude and self-centered? Then again, Prince Adam had been rather rude lately, and people still sought to serve him._

_Prince Adam pushed the thought away however, as they walked further into the village, being greeted by the people._

_"Oh, bonjour Prince Adam, Prince Gaston!" one of the local farmers smiled, hauling hay into a wagon._

_"Bonjour, Abel." Prince Adam greeted him back with a light smile, but Gaston said nothing._

_"Say, what are you boys up to?" he asked, pausing to wipe his face after loading another bale of hay._

_"Nothing in particular," Prince Adam said._

_"Then, you boys wouldn't mind giving an old man a quick hand?" Abel smiled, and Prince Adam opened his mouth to say something, when Gaston beat him to it._

_"Don't you have sons to do that?"_

_Prince Adam watched as Abel's smile faltered,_

_"Well, no. My wife, she uhm… she's… —Well, we've had complications in the past," he said, his smile completely fading away and a look of sadness crossing his eyes._

_"Well, we're busy, and _we_ don't do… "farm work". Right _Prince_ Adam?" Gaston said with emphasis, and Prince Adam looked at him, his brow creasing._

_Gaston was staring at him intently with that look he always gave when he lectured him, and he knew that if he said yes to the old farmer, Gaston would tell him what a pushover he was, and how unfitting he would be for a king, and lately, he had absolutely been in no mood to hear it._

_"He's right. We're busy," Prince Adam finally said, looking at Abel with a serious face. He heard Gaston smirk quietly, and his irritation rose._

_"Oh. Well, that's…quite alright. See you boys around," the farmer forced a smile, and continued on with his work while Gaston pushed Prince Adam to continue walking._

_"Pfft, how dare he ask you to do _his_ labor work." Gaston scoffed with a shake of his head. "See? Any chance they get, they try to use you."_

_"You think so?" Prince Adam asked as they continued to walk, and Gaston nodded his head._

_"Yes. Like I've told you before, Adam, they try to get in good with you, because they think it'll help them. Everyone wants to be at the top. It's pathetic."_

_They continued walking for a bit, checking out the local shops while Gaston and LeFou stared after the girls around the village. Prince Adam didn't mind sneaking a few glances here and there at the girls, but his shyness usually took over, and he avoided their flirtatious gazes._

_As they got deeper into town, someone suddenly called out to him._

_"Prince Adam!" A rather large man with a black beard approached them. "Good to see you!" He patted Prince Adam roughly on the back._

_"You as well, Monsieur Arthur." Prince Adam nodded to the blacksmith. "Business going well?"_

_"So far, so good." Arthur nodded, stroking his beard. "Which brings me to ask, do you know if your father ever read my letter about expanding further out? I sent it a few weeks ago, but I haven't heard anything."_

_"He's been quite busy, but I'm sure he will read it." Prince Adam nodded, and couldn't help but look over at Gaston, who was giving him that look again. He felt slight anger rise in him, but tried his best to keep it down. He was about to bid Arthur goodbye when he was abruptly stopped again._

_"Oh! Prince Adam, just the young man I was looking for!" An older woman approached them, immediately hugging him. "Did your father ever say anything about that old coop Edgar and his broken fence?" she asked, and Prince Adam shrugged. He didn't get into his father's business._

_"Well, I've asked him time and time again to fix that old fence of his to keep his pesky goats out of my vegetable garden! They're digging up and eating my produce! I've told the local head sheriff, but he hasn't done anything!"_

_"Well, I don't… I don't know." Prince Adam shook his head with uncertainty, and suddenly, someone else approached them._

_"Prince Adam! May I ask why your father has raised the taxes on the meat? I understand winter is approaching, but—"_

_"Now, Francis, you hold on a minute! I was talking to Prince Adam first!" the woman cut him off._

_"Well, I—" Prince Adam tried._

_"Excuse me, but I believe I was talking to him before you butted in!" Arthur said, and Prince Adam watched as the three began to argue, trying to talk over the other to him and asking him questions he didn't know._

_"Here, I've got another letter I wrote," the woman said, pulling a folded piece of paper from her apron. "Give this to your father for me."_

_"I don't—" Prince Adam tried again, but they weren't listening._

_"Well, wait a second! Let me get mine!" Francis said, going through a satchel slung over his shoulder._

_"Anyways, as I was saying, Prince Adam—" Arthur began when someone else started to walk over and suddenly, Prince Adam started to feel closed in._

_He felt pressured as they all tried to talk to him at once, and he could feel his heart beginning to beat quickly in his chest. He looked over at Gaston for help, but saw him standing a couple of feet away, still giving him that same look that made him feel angry. His eyes were practically screaming "weak" while his smirk taunted him._

_He didn't want to hear it from Gaston, but these people were pressuring him, holding letters out at his face, trying to get his attention, and he could feel his anger rapidly growing._

_Finally, he reached his peak._

_"ENOUGH! SHUT UP, ALL OF YOU!" he suddenly yelled, his anger boiling, and everyone immediately became quiet, staring at him with surprise and confusion._

_"I DO NOT KNOW MY FATHER'S BUSINESS! IF ANY OF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS OR PROBLEMS, THAT IS WHAT TOWN MEETINGS ARE FOR! I AM YOUR PRINCE! NOT YOUR MESSENGER BOY!" he yelled, and they all stared at him in disbelief. His chest rose and fell with each angry breath and his face felt hot, but he didn't care anymore. He wasn't their messenger boy._

_"And if any of you have a problem with that, then you can take it up with my father! Do not bother me again, or so help me I will have you locked in the dungeons and we will see how grateful you are then for the things you are complaining about!"_

_Then, without another word, he turned and stormed away, leaving the villagers to stare after him with shock._

He wasn't sure where he had accumulated such a terrible temper, but it took him over, and the consequences were what he was today.

After that day, hardly anyone in the village approached him anymore, and that's when word spread about his behavior. He couldn't help it, though. He had gotten tired of everyone coming to him, complaining about their problems. He was their prince, not their messenger for the king. If he wanted to be the messenger, he would have walked around with a sack and collected complaints, but it was his father's duty to address his people, not his. It wasn't his responsibility yet, and they had tried to push it on him.

At least, that's what he was made to believe.

He looked up and his eyes found the painted portrait of himself, the tears from his anger going across his face, but his blue eyes piercing back at him. He curled his lip and looked away in shame. He was never going to be that person again.

His eyes found their way back to the rose again, watching it hover in stillness above the surface of the small table.

So many times he just wanted to destroy that beautiful rose. He wanted to tear it to pieces, to end it all and just make himself permanent, but he could never bring himself to do it, and it was all because of that small hope.

Why did he have this hope? He gave up long ago, but deep down in his heart he knew it hadn't completely. It kept him going, but for what? He made sure that no one would ever come up to the castle and see him like this, and the rules were that he had to fall in love, and have them love him in return, but how could he accomplish this when he kept everyone away?

It was his temper. His temper that never left him and only grew with him. He didn't feel human anymore. He hadn't felt human in such a long time, that he forgot what it was like. He truly felt like a raging animal…a beast…and no one could ever love a beast…

He stood up and began to walk away from the bed when his foot hit something, causing it to slide gently across the floor. He looked down and realized it was once one of his favorite books.

He reached down and picked it up in his large paw-like hand. The book was old and tattered due to age and his anger. He had given up reading the very night he was changed.

He used to love to read. It was one of his favorite pastimes, his favorite way to escape especially after his father died, but he slowly lost that passion. He was trapped in this beast's body, and in this cursed castle, and not even his favorite book could help him escape it. Could he still even read? He wasn't sure, nor did he even care anymore to find out.

Another memory began to force its way into his mind as he stared at the worn out cover, a memory that proved just how much he had changed.

_"Chip!" Prince Adam called out of the main room as he sat comfortably in his favorite chair in front of the fire, one leg draped over one of the arms in idleness._

_When he didn't hear a response for a few moments, he called again._

_"CHIP!"_

_"Y-Yes?" Chip's head suddenly appeared around the corner looking apprehensive._

_"Come here." Prince Adam demanded in a stern voice, and Chip finally came around the corner and stood right in front of him as he stared at him intently._

_"Yes, sir?"_

_"Go to the library and fetch me something to read," Prince Adam ordered, and Chip immediately turned and ran._

_Prince Adam waited until he returned with four books in his arms, and Prince Adam grabbed the top one._

_He flipped through the first few pages and sighed, shoving the book back towards him, "I've already read this one."_

_Chip took the book back and held out the others. Prince Adam flipped through the first few pages, and he could feel his annoyance rising._

_"This one is stupid. Give me another."_

_He had gone through all four books and sighed angrily as he shoved the last one back towards Chip's chest, making him stumble back slightly._

_"I said to fetch me something to read! Not a children's book with silly pictures!" he raised his voice, and Chip flinched slightly, anger quickly crossing his face for a moment._

_"Why don't you go get a book you like then?" he blurted angrily, and immediately, his face became worried._

_Prince Adam stared hard at him for a moment, intimidating him with his piercing blue eyes as he leaned forward._

_"How dare you talk to me that way," he said in a low, menacing voice with his lip slightly curled. "When I officially become the greatest King of this castle, you will do exactly what I say, when I say it. Don't like it? Too bad. Now, go and get me another book."_

_Chip's face became red, but he turned and began to walk back._

_"King Edward will always be the greatest King of this castle." he murmured, not realizing he said it just loud enough for Prince Adam to hear._

_"What did you just say?" Prince Adam quickly said, immediately standing up as Chip froze in his tracks._

_He slowly turned around, fear on his face as he held the books with now slightly trembling hands. Prince Adam had forbid anyone to mention his father's name in the castle, and if they did, they were threatened with consequences._

_Prince Adam stared hard at Chip, feeling his anger rising as his breathing became hard._

_Suddenly, he stormed right up to Chip, and grabbed him by the front of his shirt, yanking him closer towards his face and causing the books to clatter to the floor._

_"How dare you say his name in front of me you…Stupid, little servant boy!" Prince Adam nearly growled in his face, and Chip's eyes became wide with fear. He was trembling all over as Prince Adam held him close to his anger-filled face._

_"I-I'm s-sorry," Chip stammered, but Prince Adam tightened his grip on his shirt, nearly lifting the small boy off of the floor._

_"If I ever hear you say his name again, I will hang you by your toes until you fall off!"_

_"What in heaven's name is going on in here?" Mrs. Potts came rushing into the room after she had heard yelling._

_Right away, she gasped as she saw Prince Adam practically holding Chip in the air, the anger on his face, and the fear on her son's small face._

_"Prince Adam! You let him go, right now!" she yelled, and Prince Adam quickly looked up at her._

_He would have retaliated, had she not felt like a motherly figure to him, and the red anger on her face suddenly snapped him out of his. He looked back down at Chip, and immediately let go of his shirt, causing Chip to stumble and fall back._

_As he stared up at Prince Adam, he had never seen such extreme fear on one's face before, and tears welled in his eyes as he quickly scrambled up and ran over to his mother._

_"How dare you threaten a small child like that!" Mrs. Potts scolded him. Her eyes had fire in them as they narrowed at Prince Adam. "I understand you are angry about your father's death, but that does NOT give you the right to treat a small child like that!"_

_Prince Adam stood there and stared at the elderly woman for a moment, the anger still boiling in his chest. He looked down at Chip, who stood behind her with eyes still full of fear, and looked back up at Mrs. Potts, who continued to shoot daggers at him._

_Finally, he turned and stormed away._

Although he was shocked and confused at first as to why the Enchantress had transformed him into a monstrous beast, deep down he felt he knew he was one before he actually became it. After he had gotten over the fact that he had transformed into a monster on the outside, he finally realized that's who he truly was on the inside, and it sickened him. He wanted to deny it and say that he was no monster, but the transformation only made it that much more clearer to him that he was.

After he had been transformed, he ordered everyone in the castle to call him "Master" and to never call him by his real name, for he was no longer that man anymore. Prince Adam was gone, lost in a dark, vast sea of anger, and all that was left was The Beast.

_I need to distract myself._ He finally thought, as he was only becoming more angry and depressed the more he thought about his life, his past…everything.

He decided he was hungry, for he hadn't eaten all day, and set the old book aside, preparing to head down into the kitchen.

* * *

"And just _how_—if you don't mind—do you propose to convince Master to allow two humans to stay in the castle as well as get him to fall in love with her?" Cogsworth asked as they headed over to the West Wing.

"I'm still thinking on that," Lumiere replied, causing Cogsworth to stare at him with a worried look.

"You mean you don't have a plan yet? How do you think this is going to work? They're just going to look at each other and _poof!_ they're in love?" Cogsworth asked desperately, trying not to raise his voice too loudly.

"You never know, it could happen that way." Mrs. Potts smiled as she hopped along, but Cogsworth only became even more worried.

"This is never going to work! And Master will be so angry with us!" he frowned, holding his head as he shook it. Then, an idea came forth in his mind.

"If this goes bad—as I'm more than positive it will—this will all be both of your faults! I had nothing to do with this! I was against it from the start!"

"Yeah, yeah,_ faire taire_." Lumiere hushed him with a wave of his candle-shaped hand, and Cogsworth glared at him.

They began to climb the stairs, which had become a bit of a task for such small objects, and finally made it to the top. They headed down the hall towards King Edward's old room, when suddenly, Beast emerged.

"Oh, Master! We were just looking for you." Lumiere smiled, putting on his best, cheery voice as Cogsworth stayed back slightly.

"What do you want?" Beast asked, shutting the door behind him. No one except for him was allowed to enter that room, and he had made that very clear long ago.

"We wanted to talk to you about something…important," Lumiere said, his nervousness beginning to show as he stared up at the large beast.

"Well, it will have to wait." he told him, and then turned to the teapot. "Mrs. Potts, make me something to eat."

She frowned slightly, and even though she was a small, glass teapot compared to the massive, strong beast, she still treated him as she always had.

"You can ask me nicely."

He stared at her for a moment, a growl so low it was almost inaudible escaping his throat, but she kept a stern face.

"_Please_," he finally said through slightly clenched fangs. She was the only one who he ever let get away with talking to him like that.

"Thank you," Mrs. Potts nodded, "But first, Monsieur Lumiere and I have something we need to talk to you about."

However, instead of listening, Beast sighed,

"Fine. I'll go find something myself," he said, and walked passed them, causing them to become worried.

"Well, hold on Master!" Lumiere began to chase after him, trying to get his attention. "We really should talk before we head down there!"

"Why can't you just tell me down there?" Beast asked, pausing to look at them, but as he noticed their worried and anxious faces, he suddenly became suspicious.

"What happened down there that you're not telling me?"

"Uhm, n-nothing," Lumiere tried to put on his best smile as his candle-like hands fiddled with one another. "We just wanted to, uhm…to just talk right here."

He eyed Lumiere's anxious smile and Mrs. Potts vigorous nodding…well…body, but as he looked at Cogsworth, who kept his eyes away, he became angry.

"You all are hiding something!" he accused, his lip curled. "Tell me."

"Well, just calm down for a moment and—"

"Tell me now!" he growled, causing them to flinch.

When they stayed silent for a moment, he let forth a loud snort through his snout.

"Fine! I will go find out for myself if you do not wish to tell me!" he said, and suddenly took off on all fours down the stairs.

"Wait!" They called after him, immediately chasing him as fast as they could carry themselves, but he was much quicker than them.

They all raced down the stairs, following him through the large halls, but when they made it to the entrance hall, they noticed he had stopped, and stood still on all fours, his breathing deep.

They finally came up behind him, out of breath.

"Master, please—" Mrs. Potts began quietly, but he turned his head towards them with a growl; his fangs bared.

Cogsworth began to shake, for he knew this was just the beginning of what was yet to come.

"Just hold on a minute, Master, and let us explain!" Lumiere pleaded.

"If it is any consolation, Master… I had nothing to do with it! They did it! It was all them!" Cogsworth whispered urgently, pointing at the candelabra and the teapot, who glared at him.

Beast began to sniff the air, and then, he lowered his head.

"There is someone here," he said in a low growl.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Hello everyone! I am deeeeply sorry for the delay! D: I hope that you all forgive me, and any mistakes that you find in this NEW CHAPTER! YAY!**_

_**Again, I am truly sorry, so I will not keep you any longer than what I have!**_

_**Read on, and enjoy!**_

* * *

At some point Belle had finally fallen asleep, but she was beginning to wake again to a strange noise. Her conscious was slowly becoming more aware as her ears listened, and she finally realized it was her father making slight grunts and sighs. She blinked her eyes open and found that night was still upon them; the rain still lightly drizzling outside, but there was low thunder in the distance.

She slowly turned over and looked up at him in the dark. He seemed to still be asleep, but his grunts and sighs indicated that he was in some sort of discomfort, and she could faintly see splotches of blood stained onto the cloth already.

She slowly sat up and examined him closer, noticing a light coating of sweat beginning to form on his skin. She reached out and touched his forehead, finding that he felt rather warm, and worry filled her as she realized he might be starting to form a fever already.

She prepared to get up to get him a cold cloth and a clean bandage when something suddenly caught her eye, and she looked over.

Immediately, her breath hitched in her throat and she froze as a tingling ran down her skin, as if she had just missed a giant step, when she faintly saw a pair of eyes watching her intently. A low, menacing growl came forth and she began to tremble with fear. Was this the infamous beast?

She reached out and clutched onto the shoulder of her father's shirt, tugging on it roughly.

"Papa… Papa, wake up…" she whispered in fear. She couldn't tear her eyes away from the chilling ones that watched her carefully, and its ominous growl she had mistaken as part of the thunder only made it that much more frightening.

She tugged his shirt harder, and suddenly, her father jumped awake, a loud snore coming from him as he sat up and cleared his throat.

"What? What's going on?" he questioned in a rough voice, rubbing his eyes and immediately looking towards Belle.

He blinked a few times and stared at her for a moment, before he finally realized that she wasn't looking at him, but staring straight forward with the most terrified look on her face.

"Belle? What's wrong?" he questioned worriedly, finally looking in the direction she was staring at, and he nearly jumped out of his skin as he noticed the pair of eyes. He finally heard the growl and quickly scrambled for his knife, his rapidly rising adrenaline helping him to ignore the wounds on his arm as he jumped from the couch and held the knife out. Belle quickly stood up behind her father, holding onto him.

"Who-Who's there?" he tried to question in a firm voice, but there was also fear mixed into it.

"Who are you? And what are you doing here?" A deep, threatening voice came from the dark figure.

Just by its deep voice alone was enough to cause panic in both of them.

"Answer me!" It growled loudly, causing Belle to flinch, and her father's hand that was holding the knife, to start trembling.

"W-We're just travelers…We got l-lost in the woods…" Maurice stammered, swallowing hard.

"You are not welcome here! No one is allowed inside of this castle!" The voice growled.

"P-Please! We mean no harm! We just needed a place to stay for the night!" Maurice tried to reason.

"I SAID YOU ARE NOT WELCOME HERE!" He growled loudly, and suddenly, a strike of lightning quickly lit up the castle, and Belle gasped as she caught site of The Beast.

He moved over in the shadows, growling low again. Maurice tried to hold the knife steadily in his hand as they watched him, and he mustered up all of the courage he had.

"You stay back! I'm warning you!" he demanded.

"Is that a threat?" Beast growled as he slowly moved. "You think an old man such as yourself can take on a great beast?"

"I-I'll do what I have to, to protect my daughter!" he stood up to The Beast, the thought of his daughter's safety bringing up more of his courage.

Suddenly, with another flash of lightning, he lunged at them.

Belle screamed as Maurice stumbled back, roughly bumping into her and causing both of them to fall to the floor.

Beast had swiped at the knife, and he managed to knock it out of the old man's hand, sending it to the floor and away from them.

They immediately clutched onto each other as Beast hovered over them, growling threateningly.

Belle had to do something. She couldn't just let this monster kill them! It wasn't fair. They didn't try this hard and come this far just to get killed by some raging animal!

"Stop it! Can't you see that my father is already hurt?" she said rather angrily, and Beast's growling quieted.

This slightly surprised him, for he hadn't expected her to snap at him.

"Then, you shouldn't have trespassed here!" he snapped back when he regained his anger.

"We had no choice!" she defended, and Maurice tried to shush her, but she was determined now. She had endured enough already.

"We were being attacked by wolves, and we had to come here! Please, I have to get my father help soon, or he might die! He is already becoming sick from his wounds! Just let us stay for the night and we will be gone by morning! I promise!"

"Why should I help you?" The Beast growled at her.

She had to think of something quick. She didn't want to die, but she was determined to make sure her father didn't at the hands of this animal.

"I'll…I'll do anything you ask! Please!" she pleaded, and actually stood up, causing The Beast to retract slightly.

"Belle, don't!" Maurice tried, but she shook her head at him.

"No, Papa, I can't let you die, not like this! Please," she turned back to The Beast, "I will do anything, anything you want! Just let us stay for the night, please, and let us leave in the morning, and you will never have to see us again," she said desperately.

Suddenly, a light lit up the room, and she became surprised and confused as she saw the candelabra, its candles now burning brightly, and the wooden clock that were sitting in the kitchen…_moving_? There was also a teapot following behind, and she couldn't believe her eyes. Did these objects have faces…?

Then, Beast rose up on his feet, pulling her attention back towards him, and she could finally see his features. She felt her heart quicken even more—if that was possible—as she stared up into the face of The Beast.

He had thick, brown fur covering his entire, massive body; large paw-like hands with black claws at the end; two, thick, black horns protruding from his forehead; a large snout and large, bottom fangs that went up well passed his top lip.

However, as she took in his appearance, what caught her attention the most was his eyes. They didn't seem like they belonged to that of a monstrous beast.

She couldn't quite pin-point it, for her worry about her and her father's life was obviously at the forefront of her mind, but there was something in his sky blue eyes that felt familiar, and there was a soft yearning lurking behind the harsh exterior as they stared at each other.

As Lumiere's flames lit up the room, Beast finally got a good look at who these two intruders were, and he felt surprised yet again. He had seen these faces before, and he suddenly began to remember as the memory forced its way into his mind.

_"Well? What did she say?" Prince Adam asked anxiously as Gaston returned._  
_"Uhm," he sighed, seeming as if he wanted to avoid telling him._  
_"Gaston," Prince Adam pressed, raising his eyebrows._  
_"She said… She said you were the most ill-mannered and foul thing she has ever seen, and she would rather be locked away for an eternity than to speak to the likes of you."_

Suddenly, his anger began to boil again. She had said those words to Gaston. She called him ill-mannered and foul when all he did was be nice to her!

So, she would rather be locked away for an eternity, did she? Fine! He was going to see if this is what she still preferred.

"I will allow your father to leave in the morning, _if you_ promise to stay here in the castle as my prisoner forever! If you do not accept, then the both of you can leave right now and take your chances with the wolves!" he snarled.

Belle immediately felt her stomach sink. He was giving her an ultimatum; one that had neither choices that she preferred.

Perhaps she was wrong about the kindness behind the exterior… But then again, he didn't force them out, or kill them…yet.

Maurice waited for his daughter to tell The Beast no, but when she became quiet, he realized she was contemplating it.

"Belle, no! I won't let you do this!"

She looked back at her father with a slight frown, noticing the sweat glistening off of his forehead, knowing that he would indeed become very ill and possibly die if he didn't get help soon. She had to do this. He needed help, and soon. She turned back towards The Beast, bringing her eyes up to his.

"If I did, you would allow him to stay in the castle until morning and let him go?" she asked in a shaky voice.

"If you promise to stay," he said in his low voice, and it became quiet once more.

She didn't think that it would come to this. She didn't even think that she would ever be separated from her father, but his life was at stake. She had to do it, because if he died, she didn't know what she would do. She would only blame herself for not making the better decision.

"You have my word."

"Done!" The Beast's voice boomed, echoing in the main room.

Suddenly, he wrapped his large paw around her arm and bent down, picking Maurice up to his feet by his cloak.

"You two are to stay in the tower tonight, for I will not have you trying to sneak off on me!" he growled, and began to pull them away from the main room and towards the set of stairs.

As they passed by the moving objects, who were watching them, Belle looked down to find that their faces had a look of sympathy, as if they felt bad for Belle and her father. She didn't get to look at their faces for long though, as The Beast quickly pulled them away.

The Beast marched them down two dark halls, barely lit by low glowing torches, and up another set of stone stairs. They finally reached the door to the tower, and he pushed them inside. There was nothing but stone walls, two burning torches, hay scattered across the stone floor, and bars across the windows.

They stumbled in, and as soon as they turned around, the door slammed shut and they heard the slide of a lock. They were all alone now.

"Belle! Why did you do this? Why?" Maurice suddenly asked her desperately as he grabbed the upper part of her arms, fear and worry etched deep into his elder face. She didn't like to see him like this, but she had to do it.

"What choice did we have, Papa? You're becoming sick already. You need help, and we couldn't go back out there with the wolves…" she shook her head, trying to blink back tears.

"But to give up your freedom for an old man like me? And to a terrible monster at that! The whole reason for all of this was to keep your freedom, Belle!" he said, and Belle could actually see tears beginning to well in his eyes.

Finally, she smiled gently, giving him a soft look, but unable to help the tears that were coming to her own eyes. "Papa, your well-being and health is far more important to me than anything else. I can't just let you become sick and possibly die. I just can't, and… Anything is better than being married to Gaston. I'll be okay."

"How can you be so sure? He is a terrible monster!" he said with slight anger.

"Honestly, Papa, I don't think he truly is as terrible as he is trying to make himself out to be." she admitted, shaking her head gently.

"How can you say that when he has us locked in a cold tower with nothing but hay and rat droppings, and wants to keep you as his prisoner!"

"Because he didn't kill us, Papa. He gave us a choice, and…" Belle paused, unsure of how to word this, but she came out with it anyway. "I see kindness behind his eyes."

She wasn't sure how she knew, or why she felt this, but something in her gut was telling her that there was more to this beast than just a terrible, angry monster. At least, she hoped there was.

Her father stared at her for a moment, his eyes searching her face, and then, he pulled her close and hugged her tightly. She returned the hug, and finally, it began to sink in. This was the last time she was probably ever going to see her father. She hugged him tighter, gripping onto his shirt as silent tears began to leave her eyes.

"You are such a brave and strong woman, Belle," her father said gently into her shoulder, "But I will come back for you. Someway, somehow I will come back and get you out of here."

"Oh, Papa…" Belle sniffled, and she finally pulled back, smiling softly at him. "Come on, you need to rest."

They walked over to the largest part of the hay pile in one of the corners that looked seemingly more clean than the rest and sat down. Her father wrapped his arms around her and she snuggled into him. She hoped that the chilly tower would help soothe his heated body and drop his fever, and she closed her eyes, listening to the sounds of his breathing and his heartbeat.

* * *

Beast stomped his way toward the West Wing, trying to calm his anger, but it was proving to be difficult. Did all of this just really happen?

"Master, why did you make the girl promise to be your prisoner?" Lumiere asked gently as he, Cogsworth and Mrs. Potts followed closely behind him.

Beast didn't want to tell them it was because of something she had said long ago, for that would seem childish and ridiculous, but he also had another reason behind it.

"Because!" he snapped at them, "I had to protect us! Everyone in the village thinks Maurice is crazy anyways, they wouldn't believe him if he told them I was still here, but I couldn't let the girl go and have her opening her mouth as well!"

"But what about when they realize the girl is missing?"

"I will tell him to make something up, or… I don't know!" he growled, and swiped at a decorative vase sitting on a small stone statue, causing it to fly through the air and smash to the floor.

Why did they have to come here of all places? Now, everything was going to be messed up! He wasn't sure what he was going to do. How could a human girl live in the castle with them? With an angry beast? What had he done?

He tried to think of a solution as he continued to stomp down the halls, but it was already too late. Maybe he should have just left them alone, then they would have left, and no one would have known he was here. He made this mess. This was his fault, and now he was beyond angry.

"Master," Lumiere began again, sounding slightly apprehensive.

"What?" Beast snapped back over his shoulder, causing them to flinch.

"Well… What we wanted to talk to you about earlier—"

"When you wouldn't listen." Mrs. Potts quickly added in, causing Beast to glare at her.

"—actually involved the girl here at the castle." Lumiere finished, and he waited for Beast to snap at him again.

"What about her?" he asked impatiently, wondering what was going through their minds.

"Well, Master, she's a…_girl_."

"Don't you think I know that?" he snapped, and they flinched again, but continued to follow him. "What does it matter, anyways?"

"Have… Have you thought that perhaps…well, perhaps she could…" Lumiere hesitated, and Beast was beginning to become irritated.

"Spit it out!"

"She could break the spell!" Mrs. Potts said excitedly with a smile, but Beast's face showed no sign of happiness.

"Of course I have thought about it!"

"And?" Lumiere pressed on with a smile. He stopped and stared at their anxious faces; Cogsworth had slight doubt in his while the other two had a glint in their eyes, but he looked away.

"There isn't enough time. It's too late." He shook his furry head, staring angrily at the floor.

"Oh, Master, there is plenty of time! We still have weeks left before your twenty-sixth birthday!" Mrs. Potts encouraged, but he didn't want to hear it.

He had gone so long of being alone here at the castle that he accepted his fate long ago, but still… That small, burning hope that he could not smother out was still deep within him and he knew this. However, he was too stubborn to admit it out loud, and the monster within him told him that there was no way a girl as beautiful as that could ever love such an ugly beast.

"Well? What do you say, Master?" Lumiere asked excitedly.

He stood quietly for a moment, staring at the floor as they all eagerly watched him, waiting for his answer.

"Go away," he said quietly, and they all looked at each other with confusion for a moment before looking back at him.

"…Master?" Lumiere asked quietly, unsure if he had heard him correctly or not.

"I said, GO AWAY!" he roared at them with his fangs bared, breathing heavily, and they all quickly turned and fled down the hall, leaving their master to his thoughts.

He watched them scurry away, and then turned and stormed into his father's old room, slamming the door shut. His anger was boiling in his veins, and he began to pick up many of the already broken items and furniture, throwing and swiping at them.

Why did this have to happen? How was he going to fix this? Why did he have to be turned into such an ugly beast?

He continued to pound his large, furry fists into the furniture, knocking them over and causing them to slide across the floor. He shredded the curtains and kicked the smaller items.

Suddenly, his eyes landed on the rose hovering an inch above the round table, protected by the large glass, and a growl came forth from his throat as his uneven breathing came out heavily. He nearly ran over to the beautiful rose and lifted his large paw, his claws spread out, and his chest heaving with every angry breath.

Why not just get it over with? Why not just end that small hope that was deep inside of this angry beast, once and for all?

He clenched his jaw and prepared himself for it, prepared himself to end that ridiculous hope he had, and he could feel his heart beating faster as he pulled his claw further back, ready to strike.

_But what if?_ A small voice in the back of his mind spoke, and he felt himself become frozen; staring at the beautiful rose that timed his destiny.

What if somehow, he could get that girl to love him? What if she was able to break the spell? Then, he would be human again…

More anger filled him, but it was anger for the small hope that he could not just swipe away. He couldn't do it, no matter how badly he felt that he wanted to, he just couldn't, and he dropped his hand in defeat, glaring angrily at the victorious rose.

It held such power over him, despite seeming such a simple rose, but in the same breath, it wasn't just a simple rose. It was a rose that changed his life forever. It was a rose that tested his character, his heart, his sympathy for the lesser, and he lost. He had been bitter and selfish, he held no love in his heart, and he felt no remorse for those around him. He only thought about himself, and this was the result of such actions.

He finally turned away from the rose and walked towards the balcony; the place where he came to calm down and think, and stared out over the land in the dim moonlight.

Oh, how he missed it; the freedom. He longed to leave the castle again, beyond the forest, but he couldn't. He knew that if he did, they would try to kill him without hesitation. They would see him as a monstrous beast, and try to kill him as one, without stopping to find out who he truly was. But was he even human anymore?

Ten years… Ten long years of living like a beast, of being bitter, cold and angry, that he wasn't even sure if there was much human left in him. He had not been around a normal, human being in so long that he wasn't even sure how to react properly, and just reacted instinctively…like a beast.

As he thought long about his life like he often did, he suddenly realized dawn was already approaching, and the sky was slowly becoming lighter.

Then, Belle came to his mind again, and he began to wonder about her. The way she stared into his eyes when they finally saw each other, the way she talked to him, and stood up to him like that of a person, instead of fearfully cowering away from him like a beast, intrigued him. Did she see passed the face of The Beast? …Did she see…_him_?

_No. She was only doing what she could to save her and her father._ he thought to himself. He knew she didn't give herself up just to be here with him. Why would she? She did it to save her father. A selfless act.

He slowly clenched his fist in angry jealousy. How was it so easy for her to give herself up like that? How could she be so selfless, when her own life was at stake? Not that he would kill her…but she didn't know that, and still, in the face of danger she was selfless. It wasn't fair.

He was kind and unselfish once! He had once held love and affection in his heart! The Enchantress just came at the wrong time. He was still mourning his father's death after all, and he was still angry with himself for the last conversation they had just before he died. How could the Enchantress think that someone wouldn't become angry and bitter just after their father had died during an argument?

It just wasn't fair, and Beast could feel his anger beginning to burn in his chest again. His anger could be set off so easily, and even just by that fact alone made him angry. He hated it, and yet, he could not help it. He was always so angry…just so angry…

Finally, he turned away from the balcony and began to storm towards the tower. It was time for her father to leave now. Their time together was up.

* * *

Belle had somehow managed to fall asleep again, but it only felt like a few, short moments when suddenly, the door opened with a loud bang. She jumped awake, but before she had time to even comprehend what was going on, her father was suddenly yanked from her, and she gasped as she had to catch herself from falling onto the hay.

"Your time is up!" she heard The Beast growl, and she quickly scrambled up to see him dragging her father away by his cloak.

"Wait! Please, wait!" She began to run after them. "Papa!"

"Belle!" he called out to her, just before The Beast slammed the door shut again, locking it before she had the chance to reach it.

"No! Please, stop! Papa! Papa!" she called out through the tiny, rectangular hole in the door, trying to pull it open, but The Beast ignored her, and she watched as he dragged her father down the stone steps, his shouting after her fading down the hall.

Immediately, she felt tears coming to her eyes, and she tried to pull harder on the large, wooden door, but it wouldn't budge, and a sob escaped her.

"Papa! Papa!" she called out of the small rectangular hole again, but she heard nothing. She quickly spun around and ran towards the small windows, hoping to spot them, but she couldn't see them at all. Her tears began to blur her vision, and she turned away from the window, leaning her back against the cold, stone wall. She didn't even get to say goodbye…

Her sobs became greater and harder, racking her body, and she put her face in her hands, slowly sinking down to the stone floor as she cried. She was never going to see her father again.

How could he be so cruel? Why couldn't he have let her bid her father goodbye, instead of yanking him from her without so much as a warning? Perhaps they would have been better off out in the woods with the wolves, at least they would have been together, and as she thought about this, she began to fear that she had made the wrong decision…

* * *

"Wait! Just wait a minute! Please! Spare my daughter!" Maurice begged, followed by a cough.

"She is no longer your concern!" Beast growled, and continued to drag him through the castle until they came to a set of stairs that led underground.

"Where are you taking me?" he asked him as he tried to get up on his own feet, only to fail and continue to be dragged. Was he actually going to lock him up underground and not tell Belle?

"I'm taking you to one of the underground escape tunnels! Now hush up!" Beast growled as he grabbed one of the burning torches and lifted Maurice up off of the floor, carrying him down the stone steps.

When they finally made it down there, he let go of Maurice and shoved the torch towards him.

"Hold this." he ordered, and walked over to a part of the stone wall that stuck out further than the others. He grabbed hold of it with his large paws and began to pull, and Maurice could hear the wall begin to slide against the stone floor. Maurice began to cough again, realizing that he was indeed becoming sick.

When Beast pulled the stone wall far back enough for Maurice to be able to get through, he turned and pulled him up to his feet, pushing him towards the dark tunnel.

Maurice stared down the tunnel with slight uneasiness; a gentle, cool breeze rolling across his warm skin.

"Where does this lead to?" he questioned, looking back at The Beast.

"This tunnel leads to the next town over, just outside of the village," he said in a low voice.

"The next town?" Maurice asked. He hoped that it would lead back to his hometown, that way he could sneak to Christophe's, and hopefully figure out a plan to get Belle back.

"You are becoming sick, and this tunnel is a straight shot. It would take you much longer to get back to the other village, especially on foot, and you would surely die," The Beast said, and then he leaned in closer to Maurice with a low growl, his lip slightly curled. "And if you try to send anyone up here to retrieve your daughter, I will know about it, and I will kill her."

"Please, don't. I beg of you, don't harm her." Maurice pleaded, trying his best not to cough. "She is my only family."

"Then, do as I say and promise me that you will tell no one about this place, or about your daughter!" Beast growled.

Maurice stared at him for a moment, unsure of what to do. Could he really promise not to tell anyone? He couldn't do that to Belle. He couldn't just leave her here with this monster, but his threats put far more fear into him. He couldn't live with himself if he knew that Belle would be killed in an attempt to save her.

"Promise me!" Beast growled loudly when he didn't say anything.

"I-I promise! If you promise me something in return…" Maurice said, trying to hold his courage, but he was shaking on the inside. The Beast stared at him, waiting for him to continue. "Please, sir, promise me that you will not harm her. She is a kind and gentle spirit, and though she may not show it on the outside, she is fragile deep down. She has had a rough life. Please, do not make it any harder on her."

The Beast continued to stare at him, his sky blue eyes piercing into Maurice's tired, aged ones, and finally, he straightened up.

"You have my word," he said in a low, deep voice, and with that, Beast began to push the stone wall back; leaving Maurice all by himself with just a burning torch.

* * *

Beast returned to the main room where he found Lumiere, Cogsworth, and Mrs. Potts talking with the other servants, his ears picking up the whispers about the girl in the tower.

"What are you all doing?" he growled, causing a couple of them to jump. "There are things that need to be tended to in the castle! Just because someone is here doesn't change the fact that you all have a job to do!"

The servants all quickly scrambled away, except for the candelabra, the clock and the teapot. He could feel their eyes staring at him intently.

"What?" he growled.

"Monsieur," Lumiere stepped forward, "the girl…"

"What about her?"

"She is… She is crying in the tower," he said gently with sadness on his face.

"And? What would you have me do about it?" he nearly snapped.

"Oh, stop it!" Mrs. Potts suddenly hopped forward, anger in her voice and on her face. "You just ripped her freedom and her father from her all in just a few short hours! The least you could do is be more civil and take her out of that dirty, old tower and offer her a decent room if she is to stay here!"

This sudden outburst actually caught Beast off guard and he stared at Mrs. Potts with a surprised look.

"I…I guess I should," Beast said gently, rubbing the back of his furry neck as he looked away.

"Then, go! And apologize to her!" Mrs. Potts demanded, but Beast lightly glared at her.

"Why? They are the ones who trespassed here!"

"To save their lives! You could have just simply let them stay and leave in the morning! You caused this mess, so you need to apologize!" she said angrily, and Beast opened his mouth to defend himself, but he had no words, and he closed it angrily.

"Fine," he growled, and picked Lumiere up to light the way.

He marched up towards the tower, and the closer he got, the better he could hear her sorrowful sobs, and he felt guilt consume him.

He did make this mess, and he was the reason for her broken heart. He should have never lost his temper and made her promise to stay locked in this castle forever with him. He really was a monster…

"Master, are you going to open the door?" Lumiere whispered into his ear, and Beast snapped out of his thoughts.

"Oh. Uh, yes," he said, and gently slid the lock back, slowly opening the door. He frowned heavily as he saw Belle huddled on the floor, crying into her hands.

When she heard the door open, she looked up, and anger suddenly crossed her face as tears continued to fall from her eyes.

"You didn't even l-let me say goodbye! I'll n-never see him again!" she stared angrily at him, and then dropped her head again. "I d-didn't even get to say goodbye…"

Beast felt his guilt grow as it became awkwardly silent between them, aside from Belle's gentle cries, and he looked towards Lumiere, who urged him on.

He was never good with apologies, and his nervousness stopped him from apologizing properly. He would have to muster up his courage for that later.

"I, uh… I'll show you to your room," he said as gently as he could, and Belle looked up, now with confusion in her eyes.

"M-My room? …But I thought—"

"You want to stay in the tower?" he raised his voice slightly, staring at her, and he heard Lumiere make a disapproving mumble.

Belle didn't say anything, and instead quietly sniffled as she looked down towards her lap, and a few more tears fell.

"Then…follow me," Beast said, and he turned to head out of the tower, waiting for Belle.

She finally stood up, but she didn't move from her spot, and he turned back around, staring at her in question.

"Why are you trying to make up for what you have done?" she asked with a firm tone as she looked up again, and this caught Beast off guard.

"...What?"

"Why are you trying to be nice? You have already made me promise to stay here, and you have taken my father from me. Why are you trying to be nice now?"

He stared at her in bewilderment as she stared back with angry, hurt eyes.

"I, uh…" he stammered, unsure of what to say to her.

"Just leave me alone." she demanded, crossing her arms over her chest and turning away.

Beast continued to stare at her with confused eyes, for he hadn't expected this reaction from her, and slowly, he became angry.

"Master…" Lumiere warned when he saw Beast grit his teeth.

"It wasn't my fault you two trespassed! None of this would have happened if you two hadn't showed up!" he snapped at her.

"We were being chased by wolves!" she snapped back at him, and he couldn't believe her boldness against him.

"Well, that is your own fault for being in the woods! What were you doing there, anyways?" he asked her as he stepped further into the room towards her.

"That is my own personal business!" she yelled at him.

"Tell me!" he demanded, taking another step and clenching his fist.

"No!"

"You are my prisoner, and you will do what I say! NOW TELL ME!" he growled in her face, but she stood up tall, and her anger didn't falter.

"I promised I would stay here with you, but I didn't promise that I would talk to you!" she yelled, and then turned her back towards him, crossing her arms again as more tears came to her eyes. "Now, please! Leave me alone! Haven't I endured enough from you already? Haven't you caused me enough pain and sorrow?"

Beast stared at the back of her with his teeth bared and his chest heaving angrily, hot air blowing out of his snout. Who did she think she was, talking to him like this? She was his prisoner!

He opened his mouth to yell at her some more, when he heard her hurtful sobs begin to pick up again, and he stopped. He felt the guilt again as he tried to imagine what she must be feeling, and all that he had done to her.

Suddenly, he realized that he knew exactly what she was feeling. He did to her what happened to him. He stripped her of her freedom, forced her to stay locked up, and took her loved one away without being able to say goodbye.

Why did he have to continuously prove to himself that he was a true monster?

He turned away and headed towards the door, looking back at her with guilty eyes and a growing hatred for himself, and finally left the tower, slamming the door, but leaving it unlocked.

* * *

_**Awe D:**_

_**Let me know what you think! :)**_


	7. Chapter 7

**_Finally! Another chapter! This one may be a little shorter than the others, as I have been quite busy lately! So I do apologize if this chapter seems too short or rushed, but I felt bad for not having posting anything in a while!_**

**_Excuse any errors, typos etc.._**

**_With that said and to get on with it, enjoy! :3_**

* * *

"…Stubborn…how dare she…ill-mannered and foul…she's the one…I was just trying to be nice…!" Beast growled to himself angrily as he paced in the main room; the servants watching him cautiously from afar.

"Master, please, calm down," Mrs. Potts said gently, but he continued to pace.

"Calm down? Tell _her_ to calm down!" he growled, throwing his paw in the air.

"She's just been through a great ordeal…"

"Well…so have I! But you don't see me throwing a fit about it anymore!" he said, and Mrs. Potts raised her eyebrow at him, making him feel ridiculous and childish for even saying it, but he was angry.

"Just give her some time, Master, I'm sure she will come around." Lumiere nodded, standing next to Mrs. Potts.

"We don't have time!" he growled, baring his teeth.

"Well, you won't get her to come down, or win her heart over with that kind of attitude, either!" Mrs. Potts said angrily.

"Whatever! She can stay up there in the tower for all I care!" he huffed, and Mrs. Potts sighed.

"How can you sit there and act like that when you're the one who has caused all of this? You can't just strip her of everything she's had and expect her to welcome you with open arms!" Mrs. Potts scolded him, and Cogsworth made a slight face and a shrug in agreement.

"She has a point, Master…" he said quietly, and Beast growled at him. "—Then again she did trespass!" he said very hastily in fear, and hid behind the other two, shaking.

"What else was I supposed to do? Huh?" he growled in Mrs. Potts's face.

"How about trying not to lose your temper for once!" Mrs. Potts argued back.

"She would have exposed us!"

"I do not believe that one bit!"

"Then, you need to open your eyes!" he roared at her, his fur standing on end.

"And you need to control that temper of yours, Adam!" she yelled at him, and all of the servants gasped as they watched excitedly, but also with worry.

No one ever dared to say his name as he forbid them ever since he was cursed, and hardly anyone stood up to him as they were too afraid of his temper. No one had ever seen Mrs. Potts lose her temper either, for she was almost always calm and reserved, and so they eagerly awaited to see what would happen next.

They stared hard at each other; Beast's breath coming out hot and heavily as Mrs. Potts frowned up at him, but kept her ground. Everyone was silent and still; not even the castle dog, who was transformed into a footstool, wagged his tasseled tail or made a move.

Beast couldn't believe she had used his real name. It sounded so strange, like she had called him by the wrong name, because he wasn't Adam anymore. He could never be that young man again. He was just simply a beast.

Finally, without another word he turned away, and they all watched silently as he stormed up the stairs toward the West Wing.

"Well, now you've gone and done it! Master is furious now!" Cogsworth scolded them, but they were fast to ignore him as they tried to come up with a solution.

"What should we do?" Lumiere asked worriedly, and Mrs. Potts had to think for a moment.

"I'll try to get the poor girl into a room, at least. That way she has a nice, warm bed to sleep in, instead of a cold tower. You two should try to get Master to be more reasonable and learn to be more of a gentleman if he wants to try to win the girl's heart." she instructed with a nod.

"And what if he doesn't?" Cogsworth questioned her with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, he will," Mrs. Potts said confidently, "Although he has been a beast for many years, that nice, warm-hearted prince is still lurking in there somewhere. I can see it in his eyes, and we need to bring him back out, even if it is the last thing we ever do! Now, get moving! The sun will be rising soon."

* * *

Belle had curled herself up in the corner where her father once was, trying to hold onto the slowly fading feeling of him by her side. Her sobs may have quieted, but the tears never stopped flowing. It hadn't even been an hour and already she missed him so much that it made her heart hurt.

Although she did blame the beast, it was she who brought this upon herself. If she had just married Gaston…

"Dear?" A soft voice suddenly came from the door, and Belle looked up to see the beautiful teapot poking through, staring at her with worry and sympathy.

"H-Hello?" Belle sniffled, sitting up and wiping her tears.

The teapot then hopped in, the sound of glass lightly tapping the stone floor, echoing gently in the room.

As the teapot got closer, Belle stared at its —or rather, her— face, and she felt like she was staring into the warm face of an elderly mother.

"Oh, dear, I am terribly sorry for the way Master has acted towards you," she frowned heavily, shaking her head.

"I-It's alright, you didn't do anything," Belle said quietly, and then frowned hard down towards her lap, bringing forth another set of tears and a few gentle sobs.

"Shh… There, there, dear." the teapot tried to soothe her, and Belle took a few shaky breaths to try and calm herself. "That was a very brave thing you did."

"But I've l-lost my father, my dreams, everything…I h-had hoped that…he would have changed his m-mind and let us both go f-free," she sniffled, wiping more tears away.

It was quiet for a moment, aside from Belle's sniffles, as Mrs. Potts watched her trying to suppress the urge to cry. She did feel bad for the poor child.

"If you don't mind, what is your name, dear?" she asked gently.

"B-Belle."

"What a lovely name." Mrs. Potts smiled, "It suits you well. You are such a beautiful child."

"Thank you…but sometimes it feels as though it is a curse." Belle admitted with a soft chuckle as she played with her dress, another sniffle following after.

"What ever do you mean?" Mrs. Potts questioned, finding it odd that a beautiful girl such as herself would find the very thing a curse, especially when she had been living with someone who thought the opposite.

Although it was indeed strange conversing with a living teapot, Belle felt as though she could open up to her.

"Although most people think I am beautiful, they find my personality the strangest of all."

"How so?" the teapot pressed on, curious to find out more about her.

"I do not wish for the same things that most women of my village want," Belle said with a shrug, finally looking up.

"Like?"

"Well, for instance, I do not wish to marry a man who only desires me for my looks and my body; a man who only wants me to stay home, and clean, and cook for him…and take care of the children by myself —which is actually how I ended up in the forest, and partly in this castle..."

Mrs. Potts waited patiently for Belle to continue, for she was still uncertain.

"Our future king wanted to wed me, but only for those purposes, and only because of my appearance, not for me as a person." she frowned, her tears slowing down now. "I love to read books, I love adventure, and I like to be more independent than most women, which is something he did not like, but still wanted to take my hand in marriage because he considered me most beautiful and suitable. I have declined numerous times before, but suddenly, he just…snapped, and he threatened to put my father in the madhouse if I didn't agree to marry him.

"I couldn't let him do that, so my father and I fled. His men chased after us, and we ended up in the forest. We were trying to get to the next town, but we got attacked by wolves and had no choice but to come here, and well…" Belle trailed off, looking away.

"I see, dear." Mrs. Potts nodded, and it became quiet for a moment.

"Please, uhm…" Belle finally spoke up, but hesitated for she did not know the teapot's name.

"You can call me Mrs. Potts." she smiled.

"Please, Mrs. Potts, why is he so angry and cold?" she asked quietly, staring at her with round and sad eyes.

The teapot looked away for a moment, for she knew she couldn't tell Belle about the curse, as it would ruin their chances of ever turning back.

"He…has had a rough life."

"What happened?" Belle asked, but Mrs. Potts knew she couldn't say any more for the fact of the curse, and because it was her master's personal business.

"I'm afraid that is a story I cannot tell." she frowned, "Perhaps when Master cools down and stops acting like a spoiled child," she gave an irritated look, "He can tell you on his own."

"But what if I do not wish to talk to him?" Belle asked in a more of a defensive tone as her brow creased. She had no desire to talk to someone so cruel and cold.

"Then, please reconsider, dear. He has been alone with just his thoughts for many years, and he's obviously not the most optimistic, but there is a gentle and caring spirit deep down inside of him. You just have to see past...the rough exterior," Mrs. Potts said with a gentle plea, and as Belle stared at her round glossy eyes, she just couldn't find it in her to ultimately say no to her.

"I'll…think about it."

"That would be lovely," Mrs. Potts smiled with a bit of relief, and suddenly a look of hope crossed her face. "Perhaps you would want to think it over in a nice, warm bed?"

A warm bed did sound good as Belle hadn't gotten much sleep and had been up all night, but something held her back. "Are you sure he would still allow me to stay in a room even after…?"

"That is not his decision to make," Mrs. Potts said sternly, "He may be the Master of the castle, but I am the Head Servant, and if I say you can stay in a warm bed, then you can stay in a warm bed." she nodded once, and Belle felt a sense of authority coming from her, which caused her to lightly smile.

"Thank you," Belle said, and Mrs. Potts returned the smile.

"Of course, dear. Now, follow me," she said, and turned to hop out of the tower.

Belle stood up, dusting off some of the hay that clung to her dress, and followed the teapot out of the dungeon, feeling her curiosity slowly beginning to rise.

When The Beast had dragged her and her father through the castle towards the tower, she hadn't had much of a chance to look around, but now as she followed the small teapot, her eyes roamed all over the dark halls; taking in the statues and paintings that seemed rather…eerie.

As they made their way further into the castle halls, Belle couldn't help but feel as if she was being watched, and she could only imagine it was the other servants, all being some form of an object.

How did they become this way? What had happened to them? Were they once humans, or were they always…living objects? How was that possible?

"Here we are, dear." Mrs. Potts suddenly pulled her from her thoughts, and Belle found herself standing before a door that was slightly cracked open. The teapot pushed her way in and suddenly, as if by magic, the candles lit themselves up, bringing light into the large room.

It was very beautiful, with royal blue and bright gold colors decorating the carpeted floor, the long, thick curtains, and the rather large and inviting bed itself. There were paintings of landscapes and objects that weren't as ominous as the paintings she had seen throughout the dark halls, and a few flowers were placed decoratively around the room.

She noticed a rather tall, large and white wardrobe against the wall, and as her eyes roamed up it, she came to what seemed like a face at the top.

"Why hello!" the wardrobe suddenly beamed with a loud, excited voice, causing Belle to jump slightly. Immediately, the wardrobe giggled.

"I am sorry, sweetie! I'm just so excited to see that the rumors are indeed true!"

"Rumors?" Belle asked with a soft voice.

"That a beautiful girl was to stay here at the castle!"

"Oh," Belle blushed, having forgotten for a moment. Her mind felt like a jumbled mess. "Uhm, yes it is true."

"Well, welcome to the Blue and Gold room! It is the second largest bedroom in the castle, not counting the King's bedroom, but that is located in the West Wing, and well, we—"

"Madame Armoire!" Mrs. Potts suddenly cut her off with a stern look, and when Belle looked down towards the teapot curiously, she quickly changed her demeanor. "—We, uhm… The poor girl needs rest, for the sun is to come up soon and she has been through a lot."

Belle could sense that the teapot was trying to hide something, but she figured if she were to spend the rest of her life here, she would find out eventually, for she was exhausted emotionally and physically.

"Oh! I am terribly sorry! You see, I can hardly fit through the door without help, so I just spend most of my time in here, so when someone comes in sometimes I just ramble on and on and…" she trailed off when she noticed Mrs. Potts giving her another stern look. "…And I am doing it again. Oh, how embarrassing! I am truly sorry, sweetie!"

"It's quite alright." Belle giggled gently.

"Alright, let's get you into some more comfortable clothes. Madame Armoire?" Mrs. Potts looked hopeful to the wardrobe, and a smile broke out across her face.

"Oh! I'm sure I have just the thing!" she said excitedly as the sound of shuffling hangers could be heard inside of her.

Then, her doors opened, and a white nightgown was hanging on the hook of one of the doors.

"There! That should fit you perfectly." Madame Armoire smiled, and Belle took the nightgown.

"Thank you." she smiled gently, and Mrs. Potts shut the door as Belle began to dress.

"Excuse me, Mrs. Potts," Belle spoke up after she slipped the nightgown on and reached behind her to tie the back.

"Yes, dear?"

"Correct me if I am wrong, but I assume that you all were once human? And if so, what happened? How did you become…so?" Belle asked, and the teapot and wardrobe exchanged slight uneasy glances.

"What… What would ever give you the idea that we once were human?" Mrs. Potts asked, and Belle smiled gently.

"As I have told you before, I like to read books. So, was it a fairy who changed you? A witch? A sorceress? What did she look like?"

Mrs. Potts stared at Belle's curious face, and she realized this girl was very clever and smart, and she would know if she tried to lie to her. She gently chuckled instead.

"Dear, that is a tale as old as time. You need to get some rest first," Mrs. Potts said, and Belle gently sighed, but opened the door for the teapot.

"Alright," she said as she watched Mrs. Potts hop out, but she stopped her once more, "By the way… Thank you, for everything you've done so far." she smiled gently, and Mrs. Potts smiled back.

"Good night, dear."

"Good morning." Belle smiled, and gently shut the door as the teapot hopped away.

"Let me know if you need anything!" Madame Armoire said cheerfully as Belle climbed into the large, comfortable bed. "I'll be here all day!"

"Thank you," Belle said as she rested her head down onto the pillows, and in just a few moment's time, she was fast asleep.

* * *

"Master, please, just calm down." Lumiere tried to reason, all the while dodging a pillow Beast had flung across the room.

"I am calm!" he huffed as he started to pace, and the candelabra and the wooden clock exchanged glances.

Their master was so distracted that he hadn't even noticed they were in his father's old room.

"How am I supposed to be nice when she doesn't even want to talk to me?" he growled.

"You just have to give her some time, and…be more patient," Cogsworth said with a small voice.

"We don't have time if she is to break this curse! The pedals have already begun to fall!" Beast said angrily as he motioned to the glass vase, and they looked over to see that two pedals had indeed fallen onto the round table.

"True, monsieur, but you cannot rush these things. You know that…" Lumiere said with sympathy.

Beast stopped pacing and opened his mouth to retort when he noticed the desperate and sad look on his servants' faces. Not only were they counting on the girl to break the spell, but they were also counting on him, for she could not break the spell if he didn't come to love her, and get her to love him in return, and let out a heavy sigh.

"It's no use. She's so beautiful, and I am so…well, look at me! I just… I don't think I can do this…" he finally admitted.

"Of course you can! You just have to help her see past all of that! What makes you think you cannot?" Lumiere questioned him.

"Because… Because I haven't loved anyone in anyway in such a long time… I don't…think I know how," he said uneasily and with heavy doubt.

"Well, we can teach you!" Lumiere said with a hopeful smile.

"We can?" Cogsworth gave him a strange look, and Lumiere nodded confidently.

"Of course we can!"

"How?" Beast asked him, looking up.

"Well first off, you have to calm that temper of yours." Lumiere instructed, and Beast rolled his eyes.

"And straighten up, try to act like a gentleman." Cogsworth chipped in, and Beast sat up straighter.

"Ah yes, and when she comes in, give her that dashing, debonair smile. Come on now, show me that smile." Lumiere said excitedly, and Beast opened his mouth, flashing them all of this fangs.

"—But don't frighten the poor girl," Cogsworth said with a slight face, and Beast closed his mouth, shaking his head.

"Make sure to impress her with your rapier wit!" Lumiere nodded.

"—But be gentle!" Cogsworth held his hands out.

Beast was having a hard time keeping up with the two, nodding his head quickly as they threw tips at him, that he was becoming slightly irritated.

"Shower her with compliments!"

"—But be sincere!"

"And—"

"Enough!" Beast growled, and they instantly quieted. "I get all of that, but what I don't know is how to get her to even talk to me. She doesn't want to."

They thought for a minute as Beast waited for them to come up with some plan. He was beginning to lose hope already.

Finally, Lumiere's candles became brighter as his face lit up.

"Ah! I know! Invite her to dinner!"

"Right now?" Beast asked with confusion, as it was morning already.

"No, silly, tonight! Invite her to dinner tonight!" Lumiere smiled widely. "That way we can prep you!"

"O-Okay," Beast said, and he actually felt nervousness grow inside of him. This all seemed very fast. Would he be able to do it?

"Cogsworth, find Mrs. Potts and tell her to inform the kitchen that they are to make the most marvelous feast this castle has ever seen! Then, tell the gardeners to pick the best flowers to decorate the dinner table! And tell the tailors to make the finest suit fit for our majesty, for tonight, he will woo the girl!" Lumiere instructed excitedly, and Cogsworth nodded quickly, then headed out of the door.

"You…You think this will work?" Beast asked his closest servant with uneasiness.

"Of course it will! I will help you to become the best gentleman you can be! And after dinner, the girl will surely fall in love with you!" Lumiere said confidently, and Beast felt a small swell of hope rise in his chest.

"Okay," he finally said with a smile, something he hadn't truly done in so long, "Let's do it."


	8. Chapter 8

_**I apologize for the delay as I have had a lot going on recently, but that's life, right?**_

_**I also apologize if this chapter seems a bit rough and short, I didn't get to have that nice flow with my mind being tugged in nearly every direction! But I wanted to get it up for you guys, so I hope you all enjoy it nonetheless :)**_

_**Thanks for staying with me for this long and being patient with me, and as always, enjoy. :)**_

* * *

The tunnel was long and quiet. Maurice wasn't sure when the torch had officially burned out, but he continued on forward for as long as he could until he collapsed; succumbed into a coughing fit.

He felt he was becoming sicker by the mere minute. His body ached, his head felt like it was on fire, and his throat burned. He needed a bed, he needed water, and he needed medicine.

The cold ground felt good on his face, and he felt that he could fall into a deep, wonderful sleep, but he was afraid he would not wake up, or that he would wake up when it was dark again, and the wolves would be out.

Suddenly, he felt a small, cool breeze blow through his white, thinning hair and he raised his head, peering down the tunnel. It seemed lighter at the end, as if there was a dim light further down, and hope filled him as he realized it must have been the end of the tunnel. He forced himself to stand up again, and after a dizzying moment, he continued on walking.

Finally, after a few more feet and a few more coughing spells, he found himself standing behind a thick bush, and the light from the morning sky peering through. He pushed himself through the bush, and stumbled out into the clear forest with a heavy breath and squinting eyes, taking in the wonderful openness after having been traveling in a dark tunnel all night.

He looked around and spotted a faint trail, feeling his feet beginning to carry him toward it, for his will was determined. He was going to get help, he was going to get better, and then he was going to rescue his daughter.

* * *

"My son, what are you so anxious about?"

"Nothing, Mother. I'm… I'm going to go out for a bit. If Belle happens to stop by, will you tell her to come find me?" Christophe asked his mother as he finally walked away from the window, grabbing his cloak. His mother nodded, but before she could ask him anything else, he was already out of the door.

After last night, he hadn't seen or heard anything from Belle or Maurice. What happened to them? Did they get caught? Did they flee into the night? He had no clue, but today he was going to stop by their house in hopes of finding some kind of answer.

As he walked through the village, everyone seemed normal. No one was talking about any kind of commotion, or any new news of Maurice getting thrown into the madhouse, or Belle agreeing to marry Gaston, which put some relief into Christophe.

As he passed by one of the flower carts, he overheard two of the women talking.

"I cannot wait until Prince Gaston returns from his trip! I am making him an arrangement of my best flowers!" one of the women beamed.

"Oh, you silly girl. Gaston will not be delighted by a girly bouquet! He's a manly man. What he needs is a nice hot meal, which is what I will be making him when he returns in a few days, for I know he will be hungry…"

_A few days… At least that gives me some time,_ Christophe thought to himself as he continued to make his way toward Belle's house. Perhaps then, he could find out what happened to them without Gaston interfering, but he was still afraid of when the prince would return, because if they did get away, Christophe would be the first person Gaston would come to for answers since he and Belle were close friends.

What would he say to him? Could he come up with a plausible answer? Or should he just tell him the vague truth that he has no clue?

It was true…he did not know where Belle or Maurice had gone. Hopefully they had made it to the next town, but all he could do was hope that they were alright… Wherever they were.

He finally made it to the trail that led to their cottage, but kept a keen eye out as it felt as though he was being watched, for he was sure someone would be watching the cottage in hopes that Belle or Maurice would return. He just needed to act normal, as if this was any other day.

He approached the door, knocked a few times and waited, feeling the hair on the back of his neck standing on end, waiting for someone to pop out at him at any moment. He knew no one was going to answer the door, but he just had to be sure, and also to check for any signs of something terrible.

He casually looked around for a moment and suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted someone in the distance, hovering behind a tree, but he kept his charade up and knocked on the door again.

"Belle? Are you in there? It's Christophe." he called out, knowing the person watching would hear him. He had to clear his name, make himself seem like he had no idea, and this was the perfect way to do it.

He decided to pretend to look around, calling Belle's name, but also secretly checking the place out. Phillipe was not in his stable, and it looked like the few animals they had in the pens were not fed.

Not wanting to let them starve, he fed the animals and then turned towards the trail to head back into the village again, feeling the eyes of the watcher as he walked back. Hopefully, his plan had worked, and when Gaston would return, he hoped that the person watching the house would clear his name, and they would leave him alone so that he could try to figure out a way to know if Belle and Maurice managed to escape.

He could only hope that they did.

* * *

"Dinner together? Tonight?" Mrs. Potts asked Cogsworth with a creased brow.

"Yes, it's what the Master wants." Cogsworth nodded, but Mrs. Potts raised an eyebrow at him, and he faltered slightly, eventually sighing. "…Alright, Lumiere suggested it. But he wants you to invite her. He thinks it would be better."

"Me? He should be the one to invite her! That is a bit too rushed anyway, don't you think?" she asked, and Cogsworth shrugged.

"It is not like we have much time…"

"I know, but the Master hasn't even apologized to her! The poor girl doesn't even seem fond of the idea of talking to him after what he has done, and the way he has acted. What makes them think dinner will make everything better?"

"Well, this dinner is supposed to be a form of an apology."

"I don't think that is the right way to go about it…" Mrs. Potts said with uncertainty.

"I was thinking the same thing, but if the Master wants it to happen, then we have to do it."

"Do what?" Chip suddenly spoke up, and they both turned to see the small, chipped cup hopping toward them.

"Nothing, dear," Mrs. Potts smiled gently.

"It's about the girl in the castle, isn't it? Can I see her?" he asked somewhat excitedly, but his mother shook her head, or rather, her entire teapot body.

"No, dear, she is sleeping right now. I'm sure you will see her soon enough."

"Aw, fine." Chip frowned, but his eyes lit up once more. "She is going to stay here with us forever though, isn't she?"

"She is to stay with us, yes."

"Is she going to break the curse, then?" Chip asked with a hopeful smile, but Mrs. Potts chuckled gently.

"That, my dear, is really none of your concern."

"Oh, come on, Momma! I may not have aged on the outside, but I am sixteen years of age! I should have a right to know," Chip said with a slight frown, but Mrs. Potts merely chuckled again.

"I know, dear, but only just turned sixteen, and right now is not the time. There are still things that need to be sorted out, and we don't need to bombard the girl. Perhaps you can see her later, but right now, go and take Sultan for a walk among the grounds, please," she said rather sternly, and Chip sighed, but turned and hopped away.

As she watched him leave, she was eyeing the small chip in him, remembering how he had received it in the first place. It was during one of Master's tantrums, and poor Chip had gotten in the way. She knew their master had felt terrible after he had done it. She didn't purposefully blame him as it was an accident, but it was still a reminder of how terrible his temper could become, and she could only hope that the beautiful sleeping girl in the castle could not only break the curse, but break that temper as well.

"Are you even listening?" Cogsworth waved his hand in front of her face, and she quickly snapped out of her thoughts.

"Oh, I'm sorry, dear, what were you saying?" she asked, and he frowned at her.

"I said that we had better get a move on it, because you know that once the Master's mind is set, there is no changing it." he nodded, and Mrs. Potts sighed gently.

"Alright. I'll do it, but don't raise your hopes up too high, for I have a feeling this night will not go accordingly as we wish."

"Yes, yes. Just…try to convince her to come to dinner." Cogsworth encouraged with a wave, and although Mrs. Potts nodded as he walked away, she knew she shouldn't be the one to do this. It should be the Master. He should be the one to apologize to her first before trying to convince her to dinner if he wanted to win her heart properly. Not everything could be handed to him, and that was something he definitely needed to learn on his own.

* * *

Belle wasn't sure how long she had slept, but once she awoke, she felt physically better. Emotionally on the other hand… That was a different story.

"Ah, good evening! How did you sleep?" Madame Armoire greeted her as she turned over and opened her eyes, blinking a few times as she stretched.

"Evening? Did I really sleep all day?" Belle sat up with slight worry, and the wardrobe giggled.

"Yes, you did! But that is quite alright, sweetie! You've had such a long and hard night." she nodded. "You obviously needed the rest!"

"I guess so…" she agreed as she tucked a few loose strands of her hair behind her ear, averting her eyes away as the wardrobe happily beamed at her. She was quite cheerful, despite spending most of her time in here alone as she had claimed, which brought a question up to the forefront of Belle's time. What was she to do now?

"Uhm…"

"Yes, sweetie?" Madame Armoire asked rather excitedly, and Belle quickly tried to adjust to the extreme of her delightfulness.

"Am I… Am I to spend my time in here?" she asked, looking up at the wardrobe's smiling face, which turned to confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"Well… I am a prisoner here, aren't I? Am I only confined to this room?"

Madame Armoire laughed and shook her head, "Of course no—"

Suddenly she paused and straightened up, more confusion crossing her face, "…Well…Uhm, I'm not sure, actually…"

Belle had assumed the answer would be no if anything, because she was The Beast's prisoner after all, and prisoners weren't exactly free to roam around, were they?

Just then, there was a soft tapping on the door, and Belle quickly got up to answer it, looking down and stepping back to allow Mrs. Potts inside, who seemed to be riding a small, metal cart with smaller teacups, dishes, and a spoon on top.

"Good evening, dear." she greeted her with a smile. "How did you sleep?"

"Quite well considering," Belle admitted honestly as she sat back down on the bed, "Thank you."

"Glad to hear it, dear. I thought you might like a spot of tea?" she asked, and Belle nodded with a grateful smile.

She watched as one of the teacups quickly hopped forward, and the spoon dived into the sugar, pouring the small amount into the teacup as Mrs. Potts tipped herself toward the cup; hot tea pouring out of her spout.

Once it was finished, Belle leaned forward and picked up the small teacup, "Thank you very much." she smiled and looked down, noticing a small chip in the rim of the teacup.

She took a sip, and immediately the teacup made a small giggle. Belle quickly pulled the teacup back and turned it, coming to find a smiling face.

"Sorry! It tickled," the teacup said, sounding much like a young boy.

"Oh, well forgive me then." she smiled back.

"Momma, she really is beautiful!" the teacup then said excitedly, causing Belle, Mrs. Potts and Madame Armoire to chuckle lightly.

"Well, thank you very much." Belle smiled wider as she set the small teacup back down onto the tray. "So, to what do I owe this pleasure?" she asked, becoming more comfortable with the teapot as well as the other living objects.

She figured it was due to her imagination, and her love for fairytale books that made it seem like she could quickly become comfortable with what would otherwise be a completely bizarre and unbelievable situation, but she had an easily open mind to such odd things.

She watched as Mrs. Potts glanced around uneasily, and then smiled back up at her, but her smile indicated that it was something not pleasant.

"The uhm, the Master…" she said slowly, and Belle waited patiently, thoughts running through her head.

"…Would like you to join him for dinner," she finished, giving Belle a hopeful yet apprehensive smile.

"Absolutely not," Belle said without a second's thought, crossing her arms and looking away with irritation.

"I had a feeling you were going to say that—" Mrs. Potts began gently, but Belle quickly spoke up again, stopping her.

"Who does he think he is? Has he no compassion?" she asked as she stood up, though she was not intentionally looking for an answer as her anger rose, "Does he think that just because I promised him I would stay here forever that I would just so happily and willingly accept his invitation to dinner? That we would have a lovely chat about how he threatened us, took everything from me, and forced my sick father away? And how all of this is actually just a really funny situation that we will laugh about in the future?" her voice rose as she threw her hands up before crossing them over her chest again.

"Dear, I—"

"No," Belle shook her head, cutting Mrs. Potts off once more as she did not want any form of persuasion sent her way, "Tell him that I would _not_ like to join him for dinner!"

She turned her back towards the teapot and the wardrobe, who gave each other uneasy and worried looks, for they knew there was no changing her mind.

"Very well, dear. I will let the Master know," Mrs. Potts said gently, and the tray wheeled her out of the door with the smaller teacups. Madame Armoire was just about to shut the door when Mrs. Potts came back in.

"Dear, pardon me, but I don't think—"

"I don't care if you think it is a bad idea! I don't care if he gets mad and threatens to kill me! I don't care!" Belle cut her off angrily. "I promised myself first that I would not be ordered around by a male of any kind! I promised that I would not submit myself to a life of taking orders and doing what others wanted me to do that I did not want for myself!" she huffed angrily, and Mrs. Potts waited a moment before speaking again.

"Actually, dear, I was going to say that I don't think you're wrong for feeling this way," she said gently, surprising Belle.

She finally turned around and looked down towards Mrs. Potts, letting her arms loosen over her chest slightly.

"You don't?"

"No, dear." she shook her body, her tone serious and calm. "Although I do serve under him, his actions are nothing to be supported. He has treated you unfairly, and it is understandable that you would be angry with him. Just… Please promise me something," she paused, and Belle, feeling bad that she had snapped at her, nodded her head.

"Promise me that you will not surrender to his temper," she said very seriously, "You have to stay strong, no matter how angry he becomes. He has not had anyone truly stand up to him, to show him that becoming angry, threatening people, and screaming is not a reasonable way to get what he wants, and I believe that if anyone can do that, it is you."

"You… You think so?" Belle asked with uncertainty, and both Mrs. Potts and Madame Armoire nodded.

"I can see it in your eyes, dear. You have a big, strong-willed heart, and that is what he needs. Which brings me to another promise I must ask of you that I am certain you will not be so eager to keep…"

"What is it?" Belle asked, taking in her words seriously. Mrs. Potts looked down towards the floor for a moment, and Belle waited patiently.

"He has had a rough life like any other, but he has not had the sympathy, love, and care that most —without realizing— take for granted. Promise me that, _if_ you ever do come to find it in your heart to care for him…" she finally looked up into Belle's eyes, "Promise me that you will not give up on him so easily."

Belle stared at her for a moment, and although she wanted to say no right away for she had no intentions to even speak to him at all, the deep, sad, and desperate look in Mrs. Potts's eyes made her believe that there was something more to all of this. There was something deeper underneath the cold, hard, darkness, and Belle always told herself to never judge a book by its cover.

However, now was definitely not that time, for she was still extremely upset, and yet, Belle just couldn't tell her no. Perhaps if one day she could see a lighter side to him, she could give it a try, and maybe, just maybe…he would let her go. She could only hope for that much, for that was all she had left, and she finally answered.

"…I promise."

* * *

Cogsworth paced back and forth in the hall as he waited for Mrs. Potts to return, and when he finally spotted her rounding the corner, he quickly approached her.

"Ah! There you are! The food is being plated now, Lumiere has been coaching Master on proper manners all day —so, hopefully that will go accordingly— the dining room is polished and decorated, and Master is all ready to go!" he said eagerly, clasping his hands together, and he waited for Mrs. Potts to answer. "…Well? Are we all set? Is she dressed and ready?"

"She is…" Mrs. Potts paused, preparing for the events that were soon to follow after, "Not coming."

"Great! Then we'll just—" he began excitedly, but when he finally processed what she had just said, his face dropped. "Wait a minute… What?"

"I told you not to get your hopes up," Mrs. Potts said, sighing gently. "She does not want to dine with him."

"Well… Well… This is no good!" Cogsworth said worriedly. "She has to come! The Master will be so angry if she doesn't!"

"I tried to warn you, Cogsworth, but you wouldn't listen." Mrs. Potts shook her body. "She is still very upset with him. Why would she accept an invitation to dinner on the second night after he made her promise to stay here forever, and sent her father away? Does that sound sensible to you?"

"Well…no, but still! What are we going to tell the Master?" Cogsworth asked, frowning as fear and worry crossed his clock face.

"_We_ aren't going to tell him, _you_ are," Mrs. Potts said sternly. "You two put this false hope in him, and now you have to tell him."

"But… But…" Cogsworth stammered nervously as the worry and fear deepened in his face.

"No buts. I warned you. Now, let's go before he is left waiting any longer. It'll only make it worse." She nodded, and urged him along towards the dining room.

* * *

"Are you sure she is going to like…all of _this_?" Beast asked as he pushed aside one of the huge bouquet table pieces to look at Lumiere, motioning to all of the food and decorations. In his opinion, it was a little much, and she seemed more of a simple girl.

"Of course she will! Women love flowers and candlelit dinners!"

"But seven sets of candles and a feast to feed ten people?" he asked, looking down the table at all of the servants.

The servant-turned candelabras looked to one another and shrugged, going back into pose.

"Yes! It shows good wealth, Master! And women love wealthy men!" Lumiere nodded with confidence, but Beast wasn't so sure, especially about her. She just seemed different.

Then again, he had only talked to her once before, and that was nearly a decade ago.

"Well, where is she anyway? You know I don't like to be kept waiting," Beast frowned. She should have been here by now, he had been waiting for nearly ten minutes already.

However, a thought that had been sitting in the back of his mind came forth, one that he particularly didn't want to think about, and he could feel his anger slightly rise.

He really did need to control his temper, but he couldn't help himself. It was the beast in him. Sometimes he felt that it just took control of him and there was no way he could stop it. When he got angry, there was just no stopping him.

"Don't worry, Master, I am sure she is just doing the finishing touches! Soon, we will see her come through that door with beautiful makeup, perfectly curled hair, and wearing a beautiful dress!" Lumiere said excitedly, and just at that moment, the door opened.

"Ah! Here she comes!" Lumiere announced eagerly, and Beast's head perked up as he felt his nerves rise incredibly.

However, it wasn't Belle who had come through the door, but a rather nervous and worried looking Cogsworth, and a concerned Mrs. Potts behind him.

Beast stared silently at them as they stared back, and he felt his nerves slowly being replaced by something they all did not want.

"Uh… G-Good evening," Cogsworth stammered with a quiet, nervous chuckle as he fidgeted with his hands.

"Well?" Beast asked with a slight growl. "Where is she?"

"Wh-Who? —Oh! The girl. Yes… The uh, the girl." Cogsworth stammered, and Beast's anger was only growing as he stalled. "Well, actually, she's in the process of um… —Cir-Circumstances being what they are, uh…"

"—She is not coming." Mrs. Potts finished for him, and they all waited rather nervously, staring at Beast as he stared back silently.

After an anxious and tense silent moment, Lumiere was the first to speak.

"M-Maybe she is just too nervous?" he tried, and Cogsworth agreed.

"Y-Yes, perhaps she is just too nervous to come down." he nodded, "W-We could send Mrs. Potts back up there to try to calm her nerves and get her to come down?" he asked.

"Yes! Just give her some more time, she will come down for sure!" Lumiere encouraged, and Beast's claws began to dig into the table.

"No," he said quietly, trying to hold back the anger that was rising, but Lumiere continued to try, only making it worse.

"But Master, you mustn't give up so easily! She will come down eventually, for she has to eat at some point!" he went on, and Beast's claws were now cutting into the wood of the table as he clenched his jaw.

"Stop talking," he growled lowly.

"But if we tell her of all of the wonderful food down here, then—"

"I SAID SHUT UP!" Beast roared, having lost control to his anger, and he quickly stood up, causing his chair to slide back roughly and fall to the floor in a loud clatter. "She will come to dinner!"

He immediately took off with a growl towards the door, and they all chased after him as quickly as they could.

"Your grace! Your eminence! Let's not be hasty!" Cogsworth called after him, but he growled as he raced up the stairs towards the rooms.

Once he made it to the hall, he stopped, breathing heavily with anger. The others managed to make it up just in time to see him checking the rooms.

"What room is she in?" he growled at them.

"We're not going to tell you with that temper of yours out of control like this!" Mrs. Potts said determinedly, but he roared in their faces, causing Lumiere's candles to blow out and Cogsworth to begin shaking.

"TELL ME!"

"No!" Mrs. Potts raised her voice, and suddenly, he advanced on them.

"She is in the Blue and Gold room!" Cogsworth nearly shouted, his eyes shut and his body shaking terribly.

Immediately, Beast turned and took off running down the hall.

"Why did you tell him?" Mrs. Potts demanded angrily, but didn't give Cogsworth a chance to answer as she chased after Beast.

He finally reached the door and tried to open it, only to find it locked, and his anger rose. He banged forcefully on the door.

"I thought you were coming down to dinner!" he yelled.

"I'm not dining with you!" Belle yelled back through the door.

"WHY NOT?" he growled loudly.

"Because you are an inconsiderate, selfish, jerk!" she shouted, and the trio stared up at him in fear as his eyes widened and his fangs became visible.

"WHAT!"

"You heard me! All you care about is yourself!"

"I do not! This dinner was for you!" he clenched his fists.

"Well, I don't want it!"

"Why not?" he asked again.

"I've already told you!"

"You'll come down or I'll…break down the door!" he threatened.

"Master, please…" Lumiere tried, but he was not listening.

"Go ahead! Do what you will, but you cannot force me to eat!"

Beast growled loudly and hit the door with a loud bang before turning to the others.

"Get her to come out!"

"No! You need to stop this!" Mrs. Potts said firmly in a whisper before the other two could speak, "You need to learn to control that temper of yours and be more considerate of others' feelings! You know better!"

Beast knew she was right, but he just didn't know how, and it frustrated him.

"What do I do then? Tell me!" he growled angrily in a whisper.

"Apologize!"

"And attempt to be a gentleman, please!" Lumiere pleaded quietly, and Cogsworth nodded.

Beast turned back towards the door, staring at it angrily before he took a deep breath, letting it out of his snout.

"I…am…sorry. Will you come down to dinner?" he asked with clenched teeth, hardly sounding sincere.

"No!"

Beast immediately turned to the others angrily, pointing towards the door.

"Suave. Genteel." Cogsworth encouraged.

"And a better apology," Mrs. Potts demanded with a creased brow.

"I am truly _sorry_. It would give me _great pleasure_ if you would join me for _dinner_." He clenched his jaw harder.

"Ahem, we say 'please'." Cogsworth added in, receiving a quick glare.

"…_please_."

"No, thank you! Now, please, go away!" Belle demanded, and Beast's chest immediately swelled with anger.

"You can't stay in there forever!" he growled loudly.

"Yes, I can!" Belle yelled with determination, and Beast raised his fist to break down the door once and for all when Mrs. Potts quickly stopped him with a warning.

"You will not win her over if you do that. You will only push her away further."

"Fine! Then she can stay in there and STARVE!" Beast roared loudly to the door, causing it to shake slightly, and he turned to the others.

"If she doesn't eat with me, then she doesn't eat _at all_!"

Then, he stormed away, huffing all the way down the hall, and in the distance they heard something break.

"Well, that didn't go very well at all, did it?" Cogsworth frowned, and the other two glared.

"I told you," Mrs. Potts sighed.

"Lumiere, stand watch at the door and inform me at once if there is the slightest change," Cogsworth instructed.

"You aren't possibly going to keep her from eating if she doesn't eat with him, are you?" Mrs. Potts questioned unbelievably, and Cogsworth nodded.

"Yes. We made him angry, so we are going to do whatever we can to prevent him from becoming angry again! You saw how he reacted."

"But—"

"No." Cogsworth shook his head, cutting her off as his voice took on more authority, "Have you forgotten that we are his servants? He is the Master, and what he says goes. I do not want to make him any more angry than what he already is. Now, let's go downstairs and start cleaning up."

"Fine," Mrs. Potts sighed, and she followed him back to the dining room as Lumiere took position by the door.

They all hoped that this didn't completely ruin their chances of ever becoming human again…

* * *

Beast threw a metal piece of décor across the room and swiped at an already beaten chair.

"I ask nicely, but she refuses! I apologize to her, and she still refuses me! What does she want me to do…_beg_?" he growled to himself, pacing in his father's old room.

He spotted the magic mirror and picked it up.

"Show me the girl."

He watched as the mirror began to glow and his reflection fade away in a swirl as Belle appeared, sitting on the bed and talking to Madame Armoire.

_"You know… He's really not that bad once you get to know him…"_

_"I don't want to get to know him! I don't want anything to do with him!" she said angrily, wiping a tear from her cheek. "He has caused me nothing but pain and suffering! And for what? His own enjoyment? That is only what a true monster would do to a person who has done nothing to them!"_

He quickly put the mirror down, not wanting to hear another word.

_I am just fooling myself. She'll never see me as anything…but a monster._

She was right, and this time it didn't cause him anger, but great sadness. How did he become this way? How had he lost his way?

He began to remember his parents, and how proud of him they used to be. He used to be so kind, so caring…but that man died along with his parents, and all that was left was an angry beast.

The Enchantress didn't transform him into this beast, she just only brought it to the outside for all of them to see. He did this to himself; it was his own fault.

He glanced up at the beautiful glowing rose, and watched as a petal gently fell off, losing its magical glow and wilting to a dull and darkened color.

If he couldn't even control his own temper after all of these years, how could he ever get a girl to see passed this monster and learn to love him in time?

He closed his eyes and dropped his head with a defeated sigh.

_It is hopeless…_

* * *

**_Again, I apologize if it was too short or rough, as I didn't get to have many opportunities to sit down and write everything at once! But I hope you guys enjoyed it even just a little bit. :)_**


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